Soul Bonding
by MaryRoyale
Summary: After the Unbreakable Vow incident which forever altered the state of Fred's left buttock George decides that maybe a slightly less dangerous vow might be just as much fun. Things don't quite turn out exactly as planned. FredxHermionexGeorge, but not twincest. Please remember, YKINMK. Ratings for language, mature content, some violence, and Umbridge.
1. A Different Sort of Vow

_Summer, 1986_

"So no Unbreakable Vows then," George said casually. Fred glared at him and moved the ice pack slightly.

"Ya think?"

"Right, but what if we did a different sort of vow?" George suggested with a certain gleam in his eye that normally Fred would approve of whole-heartedly, but at the moment his left buttock was making him unusually cautious.

"Are you the one getting spanked this time?" Fred demanded. George shrugged.

"I s'pose, but only if we get caught," George said with a sly smile.

"George, what exactly are you on about?" Fred asked irritably. His buttock throbbed dully, and it did nothing for his mood.

"Here, look at this," George said eagerly and shoved a book at his brother. Fred skimmed the page with a frown on his face and finally looked up at his brother.

"What exactly is this supposed to do?" Fred asked finally. George shrugged.

"Dunno, but that's the fun part, right? See, it's for two wizards and one witch, so we need to find a witch." George explained, pointing to a particular passage.

"Well, can we just use Ginny? She counts as a witch, right?" Fred suggested reasonably.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Fred. Maybe we should branch out from the Burrow a bit, just in case," George said cautiously, with a glance toward the house.

"Hmmm," Fred said noncommittally.

"Look at this part, there's a spell to find the witch right here," George pointed to another paragraph. Fred rolled his eyes at his twin.

"How exactly are we supposed to do a spell, and then how are we supposed to find her?" Fred demanded.

"We'll borrow Bill and Charlie's wands when they're not looking, and we'll take the Knight's Bus to find her," George said with a wicked grin. Fred stared at his brother for several moments and then an answering grin spread across his face.

"That's brilliant, that is," Fred said to his brother.

"I know."

F/H/G/F/H/G

It was a beautiful summer's day, and Hermione was laying on her stomach in her backyard reading her favorite book, _Charlotte's Web_. Perhaps not many five year-olds would be able to read a book like that on their own, but they were not Hermione. She glanced up from her book when she felt someone watching her, and she saw two boys who looked exactly alike. They were twins, she knew because her preschool class had had a set of twins and the teacher had explained all about it. She sat up and frowned at them. They were funny looking boys, and they had odd clothing on.

"What are you doing in my yard?" She demanded. "Strangers aren't supposed to be here, go away!"

"We're here because the spell brought us here," one of them said with a roll of his eyes.

"You're our witch, so we can't be strangers," the other one said. "See, it says so right here."

Hermione walked over and looked at the book. It was large and old, the kind of book she loved to touch and smell and read, but was told that she was 'too young' for. She tried to read the paragraph he was pointing to, but she couldn't understand some of the words so she skipped over them. Huh. It looked like these boys were right. Even at five years-old, Hermione believed that books held the answers to everything. This spell was supposed to show them their soul's mate, whatever that was.

"Okay. How do you know for sure that it's me?" Hermione asked curiously. The twins showed her the spell, let her borrow one of their sticks and she said the incantation. Both boys glowed slightly. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. Does that mean you're _my_ witches?"

"'Course not!"

"We're boys!"

"That'd make us your wizards, wouldn't it?"

"Oh. What are we supposed to do now, then?" Hermione felt slightly embarrassed about not knowing the difference between a witch and a wizard.

"Now we're s'posed to take this vow," one of them said, pointing to another paragraph. Hermione read the vow, her forehead crinkling in concentration.

"Okay," she said finally because the book did say that when two wizards found their souls' mate that they should use the following vow. It was sort of long and flowery, but thankfully, she could pronounce all the words in it—unlike some of the rest of the text which confused her.

When they were done, the two boys, who she learned were named Fred and George Weasley, and she each had a delicate tattooed band around their wrists. She stared at her wrist for a moment. The design was fairly abstract, and it appeared to be a sort of dark blue threaded with dark green and a strand of gold that wound through the green and the blue. She decided that she liked the design.

"It's sort of pretty," Hermione said thoughtfully. "What does it do?"

"We're not sure," Fred said with a frown. "I was sort of hoping for more, you know?"

"Me too," George said. "Well, we have to go. If mum finds out we're gone, Fred's other butt cheek's in danger."

"Remember, if anyone asks, you never saw us," Fred reminded her. She nodded.

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked curiously. Both twins grinned at her.

"'Course you will! You're a witch, aren't you? We'll see you at Hogwarts." George explained.

"Oh. All right then." Hermione wasn't sure why she felt compelled to, but she hugged each boy quickly. "I'll see you at Hogwarts."

F/H/G/F/H/G

"George, Fred, I thought I told you boys to wash up," Molly said with a frown. Both boys looked at her with matching angelic expressions.

"We did mum." One of them said.

"What's that then?" Molly demanded pointing at their wrists. They looked at their wrists and blanched.

"Er, nothing," the other said. Molly's mother senses started tingling. She glared at both boys and put her hands on her hips.

"What did you do?" She demanded.

"Nothing!" Both boys insisted.

"Arthur!" Molly shrieked at the top of her lungs. Her husband poked his head around the corner. "I don't know what they've done, but they've done something."

"Come on then, boys. Let's have a look then," Arthur said gently and held out his hand. Fred glared at George who sighed dramatically and gave his hand over to his father.

"What is it, Arthur?" Molly asked worriedly.

"Not sure, they seem to be matching, though. Give yourselves matching tattoos, boys?" Arthur asked. He still felt bad about losing control with Fred and as a result, he'd perhaps been a bit lenient lately. Fred and George looked at one another.

"Er, yeah, dad. Matching tattoos," George mumbled.

"Well, Molly, it'll be all right," Arthur said soothingly.

"Tattoos? Tattoos? They're seven! What seven year-old needs a tattoo?" Molly stomped off into the kitchen muttering under her breath about tattoos. George and Fred slumped in their seats, and only used their right hands to eat that night.

F/H/G/F/H/G

"Hermione, princess, what is that on your wrist?" Hermione's mother asked curiously. Hermione stared at her wrist for a minute. Those boys had said not to mention them, and she had the strongest suspicion that mentioning magic and witches and wizards was probably a bad idea.

"I don't know," Hermione mumbled staring at her shoes, blushing.

Dr. and Dr. Granger were both incredibly intelligent muggles. They knew there was something special about their only child. She had had several unique instances in her life where there was no plausible explanation. They had learned that sometimes, it was best not to push Hermione. When she became very upset emotionally…things happened. Dr. Granger stared at the odd design on her daughter's wrist and sighed heavily.

"All right dear. Let's get washed for dinner," she said gently.

It was no accident that that year, for Hermione's sixth birthday, her parents purchased a lovely silver cuff bracelet that they placed on her left wrist. It completely covered the strange design that had never gone away, no matter how often her mother scrubbed. She wore the bracelet during the day to please her parents because she knew the pretty markings on her wrist bothered her mother, but at night she would take the bracelet off and trace the design.

"Night, Fred, night George," she would mumble every night, and then she'd drift off to sleep.

By the time Hermione turned eleven, she had forgotten about Fred and George and even about the promise of Hogwarts. She still wore her silver bracelet, and she knew the strange design on her wrist bothered her parents so she never took it off, but she couldn't quite recall how she'd acquired the, well, tattoo for lack of a better word. However, when her parents brought her down to meet a strange woman sitting in the Granger living room, she wasn't surprised. When Minerva McGonagall told her that she was a witch, and so was Hermione, she wasn't surprised either. The name Hogwarts sounded familiar to her, almost comfortable. She found herself really excited about the thought of attending Hogwarts. She didn't sleep well for several weeks, and she couldn't figure out why. She liked school, and she was excited to learn everything she could about magic, but was there something else? Something she couldn't quite remember. It was as though it were just out of reach, and that frustrated her.


	2. First Impressions, Second Time Around

The Hogwarts Express was the most brilliant thing Hermione had ever seen in her entire life. She was so excited that the very first thing she'd done was go to the restrooms and put on her uniform. She tried tying her tie, but she just couldn't get it to tie properly. Darn it! When her daddy had offered to help her, she should have said thank you and let him. It was just so hard to admit that she needed help; she tried so hard to be independent. Her fingers kept fumbling, and soon her tie was limp and wrinkled. She growled at her reflection and slammed out of the restroom and right into a solid body.

"Oh!" She fell back, right onto her bottom and blushed furiously. She looked up to see a tall, gangly red head who looked just as surprised as she was. He immediately held out a hand to help her up.

"Are you okay?" He asked, steadying her with a hand to her elbow.

"I'm fine," she muttered, her cheeks heating up under his gaze.

"When you said you had women falling at your feet, George, I didn't think you meant literally," drawled a voice from behind Hermione. She looked over her shoulder to see another tall, gangly red head. _Twins_. There was something about twins, wasn't there? Maybe it was in _Hogwarts, A History_—she'd have to read it again to make sure.

"Excuse me, please," she said quietly, refusing to look at either boy. The one in front of her, George, leaned down and picked something up. It was her tie.

"Is this yours?" He asked gently, ignoring his brother. She nodded and made to snatch it from him. He held it just out of reach, which wasn't hard as she was fairly short. "Do you need help with it?"

"It's fine, please just give it back," she said finally, glaring at him. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Here, watch," he deftly slipped it around her neck and tied it neatly. "See? Nothing to it."

"Thank you," she murmured.

"No worries, as long as you don't make a habit of falling at my brother's feet, you'll give him a swelled head," the other twin snickered. George shot his brother a look.

"Ignore Fred, he was dropped on his head as a child," George muttered at her. She giggled and then clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. She scurried down the aisle, putting as much distance between herself and those two boys as possible.

"Who was that?" Fred asked curiously, watching her disappear from view.

"Dunno. She seemed sweet though," George said with a shrug. "Let's go back to Lee."

F/H/G/F/H/G

"Excuse me, but have you seen a toad, there's a boy named Neville who's lost his, and—oh, it's you," she trailed off uncertainly staring at the two red-headed twins. She glanced uncertainly at the other people in the compartment and flushed.

"Haven't seen a toad, love, but I've got a tarantula," a handsome boy said with a cheeky grin. "Care to take a peek?"

Unconsciously, Hermione threw her shoulders back and lifted her chin. She took a step into the compartment, and then another and then she was looking into the box the handsome boy was holding on his lap. She knew everyone in this compartment expected her to be some sort of frightened little first year. That thought just irritated her—Hermione hated it when people made assumptions about her, that had happened far too often in her short life. So she decided to pull this handsome boy's leg a bit. She let her eyes get all dewy like she'd seen older girls do, and she gave a soft, little gasp.

"Isn't he just the cutest thing?" She cooed into the box. She looked up into the shocked and horrified face of the handsome boy. "What's his name?"

"His, er, his name?" The handsome boy said faintly. Hermione straightened up.

"Well, he's a pet, isn't he? Surely he has a name? Rover? Spot?" She asked dryly.

"Er, I hadn't thought about it," the handsome boy continued faintly. Hermione sniffed, greatly unimpressed.

"Well, there's a toad out there who's missing his boy. Sorry to trouble you all. And a special good-bye to you, you handsome thing," Hermione cooed at the spider. Then she flounced out the compartment leaving the older students staring after her. Fred and George had matching looks of awe and interest.

"At some point we really-"

"-must learn that girl's name."

F/H/G/F/H/G

Fred and George watched the sorting with particular interest that night, and not just because their brother was being sorted. _Granger, Hermione_. That was the little spitfire's name. Both boys cheered loudly when she was placed in their house, and when the little spitfire ran to their table they both congratulated her. She blushed and thanked them both. Then they proceeded to tease their brother mercilessly, and eat.

As third years, they really should have had almost no contact with the first year girl, but they seemed to bump into her at the oddest times. Fred and George couldn't explain it, but quite often they would sit with her at the Gryffindor table, one on either side of her, without knowing why they'd done so. It had happened again, and Lee Jordan raised an eyebrow at them and sat across from them.

"Er, is there something I should know about?" he said finally. Fred and George looked up from their breakfast and shrugged. Hermione looked up from her plate and blinked at him.

"Excuse me?" she asked politely.

"Nothing," Jordan muttered and dug into his breakfast.

"Hey, Jordan, George and I had something we wanted to talk to you about, um, after breakfast," Fred said in a low, urgent tone that managed to convey a sense of secrecy and danger.

Hermione tried to ignore the odd behavior of the twins for the most part, and she tried to ignore the strange contented feeling she had whenever they sat with her. For years, she had felt as though there were something missing, that somehow she was lacking…something. Whenever the loud, boisterous red-headed boys sat with her she didn't. Instead, she felt a sense of contentment and well-being, which only served to make her wonder what was wrong with her. She never felt like that when anyone else sat near her. She frowned as she nibbled on a slice of toast, thinking. Maybe it was because they were unfailing nice to her. Unlike their younger brother who could be a right git. In fact, she would bet a galleon that they didn't even realize how kind they were to her compared to any of her year-mates. To be honest, she was incredibly grateful for their almost constant presence at the dining tables. It was much better than the nasty snide comments that seemed to float her way when she was eating by herself. The boys stood up as one and glanced at her.

"Uh, we're going to go, um, see you later."

"Thank you, Fred. Have fun," Hermione said politely and continued to nibble her toast. Jordan stared at her dumb-founded. She looked at him in confusion and then looked up at Fred and George who were also staring at her. "What? Do I have ink on my face again? Where is it?"

"That was a lucky guess, yeah?" George practically demanded. Hermione frowned slightly.

"Of course not, George." She said firmly, still unsure about what was happening.

"Really?" Fred asked curiously. Hermione looked at both of them in confusion.

"Is this a joke or something? I've missed the punchline, somehow," she snapped finally. She stood up, grabbed her bookbag and stalked out of the Great Hall. Both of the twins hurried after her and they caught her just outside the Great Hall. They hustled her into a nearby secret passageway, Fred's hand clamped firmly over her mouth so she couldn't scream.

"Now, how did you-"

"-know who was who?"

"Are you having me on?" she hissed in the cramped confines of the passageway.

"No, Granger."

"We aren't."

"Not even Mum-"

"-can tell us apart."

"Well, you," and she stabbed him in the chest with her finger, "are George, and you are Fred."

"Ow!"

"That's our spitfire."

"I am _not_ yours," Hermione hissed at them. "Now let me out of here."

"Notice how she didn't deny she's a spitfire?"

"We like 'em feisty."

"Let. Me. Out." She said slowly and distinctly. She heard two heavy sighs.

"See, the problem is-"

"-you didn't actually tell us how-"

"-you did it. Did you?"

"I don't know," she practically wailed. "I just know. I could do it blindfolded, I think."

"Really?" That was Fred and his tone of voice made Hermione very nervous.

"Fred, knock it off. You're going to scare her," George muttered at him.

"Okay, spitfire you get off easy today." Fred said.

Sudden light and sound was disorienting, and Hermione staggered down the hall for a bit until her senses adjusted. Then she continued down the hall, twisting the bracelet on her wrist and frowning slightly.

F/H/G/F/H/G

They were doing again. Eating with her, one on either side. They had given her wicked grins of approval as they sat down with her, and she instantly felt on guard.

"What is it?" she demanded.

"Heard you got a detention," Fred said with a swell of pride.

"That's our spitfire," George agreed fondly. She rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"Well, if that's all it takes to impress you," she began hotly, but the shaking of their heads stopped her.

"Oh, no. It takes loads more than that to impress us," Fred told her baldly.

"But it's a start," George said with a grin.

"Really, it's more the nature of the crime," Fred murmured softly.

"Hmmm," George made a noise of agreement as he sipped his pumpkin juice.

"Oh, honestly!" Hermione huffed. They both grinned at her.

"You're adorable when your back's up, you know that?" Fred said. Hermione blushed.

"Stop it," she muttered at him, her cheeks flushing.

"Fred," George said warningly, and amazingly enough Fred backed down and stopped teasing her.

"I've got studying to do. I'll see you later," she muttered.

"Later, spitfire." They said in unison. Hermione closed her eyes for a minute and then marched off.

F/H/G/F/H/G

The school year was over, and Hermione decided that magic and Hogwarts were amazing. Really amazing. The best part was that she now had two new friends: Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She didn't really count Fred and George, but she couldn't explain why satisfactorily. She could say that it was because they weren't year-mates and they hardly ever saw one another aside from meals. The twins were both wicked and naughty and they loved to tease her and call her their spitfire because they knew it would get her going. They were never mean in their teasing, nor were they cruel to her. In fact, Hermione suspected that their teasing of her covered up the fact that they were unfailingly kind and polite to her. The twins were separate from everyone else. They were not slotted into any sort of tidy category in her head. They held their own place, and she was happy to leave them there so she didn't have to think too hard about why they had their own special place.

Leaving Hogwarts was difficult for Hermione, but it wasn't until she was in her parent's car on her way home that she realized that she felt different. Was it because she couldn't do magic? Was it because she loved that world so much and she was homesick for it? Was it because she wouldn't see her friends until next fall? She wasn't sure, she only knew that something was a little off. She frowned to herself and twisted her silver bracelet around her wrist.


	3. Sticks and Stones

_A/N: The CoS in one chapter. Painful, but it had to be done. In addition, if you've noticed a change in the rating level, good for you! The twins reminded me that their mouths are not the cleanest around—especially if they're by themselves and their mother's not around._

It was absolutely ridiculous that Hermione was this happy to meet Harry and Ron in Diagon Alley. Well, she knew that it wasn't just them she was excited to see. It was Fred and George as well. She hadn't slept well the last couple weeks, and she knew it was because school began soon. She'd already started studying, of course, but she'd left off a bit of her shopping so that she'd have a chance to visit with Ron and Harry. Her mother and father was coming with her, her dad wanted to set up an account for her at Gringott's so that she'd be able to do for herself when she was older. Her mother had argued, she worried about Hermione being alone in Diagon Alley, but dad was thinking about the future.

"Harry!" Hermione spotted him immediately and raced toward him to give him a bone-crushing hug.

They were almost immediately joined by a horde of Weasleys and under the cover of the attention that Harry was receiving from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George gave her quick, tight hugs.

"There's our spitfire," Fred said happily.

"Missed you," George said simply, but she could tell that he meant it. Then they pulled over a girl who looked a lot like all of them.

"This is Ginny-"

"-our baby sister."

"We figure she'll end up-"

"-in Gryffindor. Keep an eye out?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Hermione said politely to the small girl who nodded nervously, and snuck a look at Harry. Hermione hid a small smile. She looked up at the twins. "Of course, I will."

"Thanks, spitfire," they both said.

Everyone parted again, and Hermione ended up with Harry and Ron. They had fun, exploring all the shops, but she found herself looking for red hair several times. She sighed, shook her head, and followed the boys as they made their way to Flourish & Blotts. What happened next, Hermione would rather not dwell on. Her parents had been terribly frightened, and had expressed concern about whether or not Hogwarts really was the best place for her. Thank Merlin they were home at that point because Hermione threw an absolute tantrum. She screamed and cried and the air around her crackled with energy. Shortly after that, Hermione received a message by owl from the twins.

_Spitfire,_

_This may sound really odd, but are you okay? Please respond as soon as possible. Um, Fred says that means now._

_George_

She swallowed her rage, grabbed a clean piece of parchment and wrote back:

_Dear Fred and George,_

_No, I am not alright. My parents are upset about what happened today, and they are saying that maybe I shouldn't go to Hogwarts. What am I supposed to do, if they make me go to a muggle school? Who will eat next to me?_

_Hermione_

She received a response almost immediately, but it wasn't quite what she expected. Dumbledore knocked smartly on their front door and had a long chat with Dr. and Dr. Granger. Hermione sat in her room the entire time, and when he left her parents didn't mention pulling her out of school again. Fred and George's owl arrived just before she went to bed.

_Spitfire,_

_Dad says that it's been all taken care of. See you at school._

_F&G_

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

When the twins sat down, one on either side of her, Hermione realized that she was in very big trouble. She felt calmer, more relaxed, and…well, happy. Lee Jordan sat across from them, and Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet sat next to him. The girls flirted light-heartedly with the twins, which Hermione told herself she didn't care about at all. They were fourth years after all, they probably shouldn't even be sitting with her. The twins flirted back, but it was a sort of over-the-top, too ludicrous to be true sort of flirting, which made it quite clear that the twins were not serious. Or at least, it was very clear to Hermione. She wasn't sure if the girls realized, but she tried to not worry about it. It was none of her business, after all. George reached for something, and Hermione saw something she'd never seen before. She gasped and grabbed his wrist without even thinking about how it might look to anyone at their table. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Do you normally cover it up?" She demanded, holding his wrist quite tightly in her small hands. The skin on George's wrist felt like it was tingling, and he shuddered.

"Yeah, it makes Mum mental," Fred muttered at her.

"Well, more mental," George amended.

"Where did you get it?" Hermione whispered, her fingers lightly tracing the delicate design that she knew by heart. George was starting to feel uncomfortable. If she kept touching him, he was going to disgrace himself in the middle of the Great Hall.

"Uh, we did it when we were just kids. It's a good thing we came from a magical family, or there would have been hell to pay for the underage magic," Fred said with a slight frown, watching his brother and Hermione. She nodded thoughtfully, nibbling on her lower lip. She released George's wrist and snatched at Fred's. His glamour was still on, but he removed it when he realized what she wanted.

"It's just matching tattoos that George and I got," Fred said hurriedly with an attempt at a casual shrug. "Mum had a fit, so we usually cover them up."

"Oh," she said softly. She glanced up at Fred and George who still looked a little tense.

"You won't mention it to Mum?" George asked. Hermione shook her head no, and both boys gave her wide, happy smiles.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

They found her sitting alone in the library after she'd left Ron and Harry in the common room. Ron was still coughing up slugs and it made her slightly ill to be near him at the moment. They sat down, one on either side of her, and she was so used to it, she thought nothing of it. Then they hugged her between them, so tightly that she squeaked, and they were forced to relax their embrace slightly. George had his face buried in her neck, but Fred had pulled back slightly so that he could see her face.

"You're all right?" He whispered, with a glance toward Madame Pince. She nodded, her eyes wide.

"You promise?" George was mumbling into her neck. She pulled back slightly so that George could see her face.

"I've never heard…that word…before, so the only reason I knew he was insulting me was the flying Weasley twins who were attempting to disembowel him in front of me," Hermione whispered back. Fred and George grinned.

"Well, Alicia stuck up for you, too. And Harry. Even Ron," George pointed out.

"Truly, I think you two are more upset about it than I am," she whispered at them. Their hold on her tightened slightly.

"He's going to get it," George said darkly, his eyes cold and distant. Fred nodded his whole-hearted agreement. Hermione thought of all the things she could say, that they would completely ignore.

"Try not to lose Gryffindor any points, all right?" She settled for finally. Both boys sniffed.

"We make no promises-"

"-but we'll do our best."

"Thank you." She said with a tiny smile. They hugged her tightly one more time and then left her alone in the library.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Instead of sitting on either side of her, they sat across from her with identically smugly proud expressions. Harry and Ron were sitting on either side of her and they both looked slightly intimidated by the twins. Hermione snorted to herself. Fred and George beamed at her.

"We heard a nasty little rumor-"

"-but it couldn't possibly be true."

"What about?" Ron burst out belligerently.

"Someone-"

"-can't say who-"

"was setting off fireworks in potions."

"What are you afraid of some competition?" Ron laughed derisively. Fred and George snickered.

"Ah, Ron, you're always good for a laugh," Fred said.

"We don't have competition," George said arrogantly. "No, _someone_ was creating a diversion because some _people_ are up to some_thing_."

"We've longed for this day," Fred said, pretending to dab tears from his eyes.

"What day?" Ron groused, glaring at his brothers. Fred and George snorted.

"We figured as much," they said together.

"Seriously, what are you lot on about?" Ron was turning red in the face. They turned their attention to Hermione who was blushing furiously and refusing to look at them.

"Our little spitfire grows ever more creative and inventive," Fred said conversationally to George who nodded.

"Makes a bloke proud," George added thoughtfully. Hermione huffed irritably.

"You're not going to say anything, are you?" Hermione asked in a low, urgent voice, glancing down their table, and then back at the twins.

"Perish the thought!" Fred said in an affronted voice. George looked offended that she would even suggest it. Hermione looked at both of them and then nodded slightly to herself.

"Thanks," she said softly and then proceeded to eat her custard quietly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

She'd been stuck in the hospital wing for forever, and when they finally got her back, she'd been petrified. When Ron told them that that waste of space Malfoy had said that he wished it had been _their_ spitfire who'd died, they had vowed to make the little bastard's life miserable. They'd been to visit her, until Madame Pomfrey refused visitors to the hospital wing because she feared that one of the students was the Heir of Slytherin. Malfoy's life became one long nightmare of hexes, curses and charms. The twins smiled in satisfaction as they watched Malfoy walking backwards down the hall, his pointy little face red with frustration.

George wasn't quite sure how or why they'd grown so attached to Hermione Granger so fast. She was in the same year as their little brother, and she was one of his best friends, too. In his opinion, she was too smart for Ron. Their spitfire was scary smart, but that didn't bother him or Fred because they, too, were scary smart—they just covered it up so that no one would know. The last thing the twins wanted was to be compared to Bill or Charlie or Percy. They were their own men. When George was feeling introspective, he wondered if maybe it was because they _were_ twins. They each already had someone that they were endlessly compared to, thanks so much. That, and to his way of thinking, they had way more fun this way. There was something about the tiny girl that made him feel as though he'd forgotten something. Whenever they were near her, he felt happy, relaxed, completed. It was almost like the way he felt when he was reunited with Fred after an absence, but that happened so rarely that it was hard to tell. He didn't quite consider her a friend, but that was because both he and Fred had decided that friend wasn't quite the right word. He sighed heavily and looked longingly at the hospital ward as they passed it. Fred glanced at him, and he felt better. There was a wealth of compassion and love in those eyes. _Soon_, they said. _We'll have her back soon._

Fred didn't care about the hows and whys, that was George's job. He just wanted her back so that she could sit between them and he could watch her eyes get bigger and bigger when they reminisced about a prank that had gone down earlier. Her eyes were amazing. They were hazel with flecks of gold, and they told a person so much. He loved teasing her just to see her eyes start to glow with passion. George always reminded him that it was more of a passionate rage, and he would remind George that semantics didn't matter. She was like an angry little kitten, spitting and hissing with rage, her fur sticking out in all directions. Although instead of fur she had that hair. He'd heard Potter refer to it as bushy on more than one occasion, and he wondered if the boy was as thick as Ron. Her hair was made up of wild, untamed curls. And when you got her angry? Her hair would start to stand out from her head and crackle in an aureole of power. He snorted to himself. Bushy didn't quite cover it. Sure it was unmanageable, and probably gave her fits because she was a girl, and they seemed to care about that sort of thing, but he loved it. He'd never felt so drawn to anyone, well aside from George, but that was markedly different, in his entire life. George, voice of reason that he was, said that their spitfire had to be treated with care. She was different.

Both twins were sitting dejectedly in the common room when they were pulled out by a terrified McGonagall. _Ginny_. They sat there, willing this to be some sort of sick, twisted joke, but it wasn't. _Ginny_. Their baby sister. They adored her more than anything. Almost more than they cared about each other. Neither of them ever liked think about that time. Ever. They'd liked Harry before, but afterwards there was a level of trust and love that made him like family. They considered Harry to be almost like another brother. Merlin knew they didn't _need_ another brother, but they hadn't needed Ron either and Mum had insisted on keeping him, despite the lucrative offer that Fred and George had received from that disreputable fellow in Diagon Alley.

The petrified people were cured. They were okay. _She_ was okay. When the Great Doors opened, and they filed in, both Fred and George's hearts tightened just a little. And then she was racing, flying down the aisle, and everyone assumed she was headed for Harry and Ron, including Harry and Ron. Fred and George knew better, and they stood up so that she could fling herself at both of them. They crushed her against them, holding her tightly, and they knew that everyone in the Great Hall was a little confused, but they really didn't care. _She was back_. Then she was hugging Harry and Ron and telling them she was so proud of them for solving everything, and Fred and George's arms felt empty. When they sat down again, they made sure that she was sandwiched firmly between them. George couldn't stop touching her, it was as though he was trying to make sure she really was there. He kept playing with one wild curl that had tumbled over her shoulder. Fred knew how he felt. Their spitfire didn't seem to notice, or she understood completely because once or twice he felt her sort of lean against him for a moment, as though she were assuring herself that he really was sitting next to her. He noticed that she did the same thing to George as well, and he seemed to calm down a little after she did so. The year was over, and the twins—perhaps for the first time ever—viewed the summer holiday, and their separation from Hermione, with distaste.


	4. Werewolves, Dementors, and Grims, oh my!

_A/N: PofA in one chapter…er…it seemed like a good idea at the time?_

This last summer had been a doozy. Hermione had loved France, it had been utterly fascinating. She'd spent hours outside, and had tanned to a healthy brown. The French boys had flirted with her, and she had gone to a café once or twice for a mineral water once or twice. She'd felt a twinge, and wished that instead of the incredibly handsome swarthy boy sitting across from her it had been two goofy red-headed boys. Not that her boys weren't handsome, they were the most handsome, and maybe that was part of the problem; Nobody could compare to them. That, and they really weren't _her _boys. She had known it would be a problem last year, and as far as she could tell, it was only getting worse. She sighed. At least this year, her parents had allowed her to stay at the Leaky Cauldron with the Weasley family. Fred and George had attacked her before Ron or Ginny could even get close, and had enfolded in a bone-crushing hug that made her squeak. She really had to figure out how to get them to stop doing that. When she pulled back Mrs. Weasley was looking at her curiously. Fred and George reluctantly allowed Ron and Ginny to hug her, but they managed to keep her near them for the rest of the day.

"You're looking quite healthy, France seems to have agreed with you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly when they were alone later. Hermione gave a half-hearted smile.

"It was interesting, and the countryside was pretty, but I'm glad to be going back to Hogwarts," Hermione said honestly. Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"I must say, I'm so glad that you're such a good friend to my Ron. He needs a steady influence," she said carefully as though she were trying to say something, but couldn't figure out how. Hermione smiled slightly.

"I'm not sure if I'm all that steady of an influence, ma'am. Ron can be very…er, strong-willed," Hermione said diplomatically. Mrs. Weasley made a thoughtful noise.

"Although, I was sort of surprised to see how…close…you are to Fred and George," Mrs. Weasley continued on with a hint of determination. Hermione blinked.

"Oh?" She said nervously. "Well, they've been very kind to me."

"Fred and George have been very kind to you?" Mrs. Weasley repeated as though she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

"I…I get teased a lot. Ron calls me a know-it-all all the time, and that's one of the kinder things people say," Hermione said softly. Mrs. Weasley's face turned slightly pink.

"I see," she said thoughtfully. Fred and George stuck their heads into the room.

"All right, spitfire?" George asked seriously, his gaze flicking between his mother and Hermione. He looked into her eyes and whatever he saw there caused him to relax imperceptibly.

"Come on, you said you'd come with us," Fred bounced into the room and grabbed her arm. "Harry'll be here tomorrow and then we won't see you again."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The Fat Lady had fled her painting and everyone was sleeping in the Great Hall. If the idea that Sirius Black—mass murderer—was loose in the castle wasn't terrifying her spitless, the whole situation would have amused Hermione to no end. It was almost as though the entire school was on some sort of Boy Scout or Girl Guide camp out. Fred and George had resolutely dragged their sleeping things toward Harry, Ron and Hermione and were arranging their things, one on either side of their spitfire.

"Oi, what are you lot doing, then?" Ron demanded in irritation. Fred shot him an incredulous look.

"I would have thought it was fairly obvious, even to you Ron," he said bitingly.

"We're getting ready to go to bed," George said reasonably.

"Well, why aren't you over in your year?" Ron groused, frowning darkly at his brothers. Both boys straightened up and shot their younger brother a look of disgust.

"If you think for one minute-"

"-that we're leaving _our_ spitfire-"

"-alone when Black's on the loose-"

"-then your even less intelligent than we thought."

"What do you mean _your_ spitfire? And I like that, _alone_. What are we? Flobberworms?" Ron demanded glaring at his brothers. The twins grinned smugly.

"Ron, knock it off," Hermione snapped. She had no idea why he had to be like this, and his little display ensured that large numbers of people were staring at them in curiosity. Ron continued to grumble, but he did it in a much quieter register, so Hermione ignored him.

"You don't have to do this," she said quietly to the twins. They gave her a look that wasn't quite as scathing as the one they'd bestowed on their brother, and she didn't say anything else. She sat on her bedding twisting her silver bracelet around her wrist nervously.

"What's that?" Fred asked curiously. Hermione held her wrist out to him.

"Present from my parents when I was quite small. Er, well, this is actually a newer one. The old one got too small," Hermione said quietly, tensing slightly. Fred and George cocked their heads and looked at her with a slight frown.

"So you always have a bracelet?" George asked casually. He could tell that there was something going on. Hermione nodded.

"Why?" Fred asked simply.

Hermione undid the clasp and held out her naked wrist to Fred and George. They stared at her wrist for several minutes and then looked up at her.

"Where did you get this?" George whispered, his face pale and the freckles standing out in sharp relief. Hermione frowned slightly and then shook her head.

"I don't remember," she said finally. "I remember my mother being upset about it, and them buying me the bracelet for my sixth birthday."

"It matches ours," Fred muttered, as he compared his to hers.

"I know," she whispered. Both twins frowned at her.

"Why didn't you say anything?" They demanded as quietly as possible. Hermione shrugged.

"Well, what would I have said? I've just always had it. I don't remember how I got it. You two aren't exactly prancing about waving them in everybody's faces either, are you?" Hermione sulked. Fred and George exchanged a look.

"That's true," George said slowly. Fred sat up sharply.

"That's why," he whispered staring at his twin. They both looked at Hermione incredulously.

"What?" she asked sharply.

"You said, you could tell the difference, even blindfolded," Fred reminded her.

"Yes, I think I could," Hermione nodded, knowing what exactly what he was talking about.

"I think it's because of this," Fred said, lightly touching Hermione's wrist. She shuddered at the tingling feeling of her skin.

"What is it?" She asked. Fred and George shrugged.

"Not sure. We'll have to find the book again," George said thoughtfully.

"Can you lot stop whispering over there? Some people are trying to sleep," growled Ron from the other side of Harry. Fred and George glanced around and then threw a rude gesture Ron's way. Hermione hissed her disapproval at such behavior and they grinned at her cheekily.

"Come on, spitfire, bed time," Fred said in that same tone of voice that always made her very nervous.

"Fred," George said warningly.

The three of them laid down, and Fred and George scooted as closely as the bedding would allow. Hermione was surprised to feel two warm, callused hands slid into her hands so that each boy was holding one of her hands. Their fingers twined, and Hermione felt very peaceful, and very safe. Her eyes fluttered closed and she mumbled softly.

"Night, Fred, night, George."

"Night, spitfire." They murmured back at her, and somehow they managed to squeeze her hands at the exact same time.

When Hermione awoke in the morning, she found that _somehow_ Fred and George had managed to wrap themselves around her and she was trapped in a tangle of limbs. She pushed at both of them and wriggled helplessly. Both boys muttered in their sleep and held her tighter. She huffed in annoyance and elbowed both of them sharply. Brown eyes flew open and stared at her in surprise.

"Spitfire?" Fred said in surprise. Her hazel eyes were flaring in irritation. She was practically sparking. He grinned at her. "Morning."

"Let me go," she growled at him. The she squirmed around so that she could look at George who was watching her elbows with a wary eye. "Please?"

They released her immediately, their faces pink with embarrassment.

"Sorry about that," they muttered.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

They didn't sit by her that day, and to be honest, she didn't really blame them. She certainly blamed herself. Well, what was she supposed to do? Let Harry accept strange presents from people and get killed? She…she _loved_ Harry. He was like…like a brother. How could a person with any decency allow their brother to be killed? It was difficult knowing that the entire Quidditch team hated her. Knowing that Harry and Ron hated her. Knowing that….that _they _hated her.

Using the time-turner for classes left her exhausted all the time. She was studying so much, and she had no time for almost anything else. On top of that, exams were looming, and Hermione felt as though she were under constant pressure all the time. Every day, she was on the edge of tears. One of the interesting side effects of the whole fiasco was that Hermione had gotten to know the castle very, very well. In addition, she'd learned more about the strange tattoo on her wrist, but not from books. She paid attention to her body, and listened to what it tried to tell her. Whenever she felt a strange tugging sensation, she immediately went in the opposite direction. Once the tugging stopped, she knew that she was far away from _them_. There were a variety of dusty, hidden rooms that no one seemed to remember, or know about. Hermione used most of these to study in, and hide from accusing eyes. Perhaps it wasn't very Gryffindor of her, but she just couldn't bear to see hatred in those brown eyes.

"You know, if we didn't know any better-"

"we might think you've been avoiding us."

Hermione jumped in surprise and whirled around to look at the door of the abandoned room she'd been using to study. Her eyes were wide and dark, and her face looked panicked. They were leaning in the doorway, one on either side of it, and watching her with veiled eyes. She couldn't read their expressions very well, and her stomach started to tie itself in knots.

"But you wouldn't be hiding from us-"

"would you, spitfire?"

"I'm studying," she said dully, refusing to look at them. "I have rather a lot of it, and the…the commons room tends to be noisy."

"Hmm," both twins said noncommittally. They stood up suddenly and moved closer to her. Hermione's heart started pounding in her chest and she backed up until her desk hit her in the back.

"Why," she cleared her throat nervously. "Why are you here?"

"Funny thing," Fred said mildly, watching her carefully. "sometimes, not all the time mind you, but sometimes, we can tell how you're feeling."

"Really?" Hermione squeaked, her heart beating so fast now that it hurt. George looked at her oddly.

"Didn't you find it strange when we sent you that letter, asking if you were okay?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"No, I just, I thought you were concerned." She whispered.

"Right," George said slowly, staring at her.

"And although feeling like you're drowning in a pit of agony and despair seemed like a real hoot to begin with," Fred continued in the mild voice. "It loses its charm rather quickly."

"Well, we weren't sure what was going on at first," George corrected his brother who shrugged. "It took us a bit to figure everything out."

"That, and we could never find you. How on earth have you been eating, lately?" Fred demanded suddenly, the mildness gone from his voice.

"Eating?" Hermione murmured, her eyes wide. Both twins looked disgusted at that, and Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes. She turned away from them so they couldn't see her, and she felt a tentative hand touch her shoulder.

"Spitfire?" Fred said uncertainly.

"Please?" George muttered hoarsely. Hermione turned back and looked at George. He'd dropped whatever mask he'd had, and now he just looked miserable. His fingers were playing with a lock of her hair. Fred was the one who touched her shoulder, and he looked just as miserable.

"You don't hate me?" She whispered. Both boys closed their eyes for a minute.

"No." It was the most beautiful word in the world, she decided.

"Oh," she murmured to herself, frowning slightly. The ache inside her eased immediately, and the relief in both boys' faces was evident. "You can really feel that?"

"Not all the time," Fred muttered, running a hand through his hair distractedly.

"We think concentrating on you helps," George said flatly.

"We have to find that book," Fred said to himself, and George nodded.

Now that she knew they didn't hate her, that they had been just as miserable as she had been, she was at the mercy of her tattoo. The tugging was incredibly intense now, and the longing inside her, to be near them, was overwhelming. Apparently it was a two-way, well…a three-way, street because they seemed to be moving as close to her as possible. Then they were hugging her between them, gently as though she were breakable. Fred transfigured a desk into a rather squishy couch, and they pulled her onto it with them. They sat there and held her for hours. She sighed softly and laid her head on Fred's shoulder. George took one of her hands and laced their fingers together. At some point she switched so that her head was on George's shoulder, and then Fred took her hand. For the first time in a long time, she was happy.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"You know, rumors are funny things-"

"and often one is left wondering-"

"whether or not to believe the wretched things."

"It's true," Ron said, a wide grin splitting his face. Both twins turned and looked at Hermione with a mixture of awe and adoration.

"Did Creevey happen to be around?" They asked hopefully.

"No, but that would have been brilliant!" Ron said fondly. The twins slumped slightly in their seats.

"Well, no matter, it's the principle of the thing, after all," Fred said bracingly.

"I punched somebody," Hermione growled at them. "What principle is that?"

"Stick it to Slytherin, whenever, wherever possible?" Fred suggested sweetly. Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I could have received detention, or been suspended!" Hermione hissed at them.

"Don't talk like that," George muttered at her, "you'll get Fred overexcited."

"I bet you're adorable when you scrub cauldrons," Fred said dreamily.

"We had to stop her, you know," Harry offered with a reminiscing sort of smile. "She was all set to go after him and punch him again. Had to hold her down."

"Really?" Fred drawled with a look of interest. George smirked down at her.

"Is that right?" He murmured at her.

"The little git deserved it," she seethed, fury darkening her cheeks, and making her eyes glow with anger.

"You know, I don't think I like the idea that Malfoy can make her eyes glow like that," George said with a frown.

"No, that look of righteous fury is supposed to be reserved for us, spitfire," Fred added with his own frown. Hermione glared at both of them and they smiled widely back at her.

"I have to go to study," she muttered and grabbed her bag before stalking out of the Great Hall.

_A/N: I know this isn't everything, but it contains the areas where I thought she might overlap with the twins the most. Remember, they have none of the same classes, and they're only usual interactions points would be meals, the common room, and extra-curricular activities i.e. Quidditch and Hogsmeade. Thanks to studying, Hermione wasn't really regularly eating meals and/or hanging out in the commons room (well, and the Firebolt Incident). The boys play Quidditch, so it's not like they can hang out then, and Hermione skipped a bunch of Hogsmeade weekends because she felt guilty that Harry couldn't go. So…yeah._


	5. The World Cup and Whatnot

The Burrow was the first magical household that Hermione had ever seen before, and she decided that she loved magical households. It was perhaps not as perfectly neat and tidy as her parent's home, but it seemed to make up for tidiness with love and affection. Fred and George had snatched before anyone else had a chance to, again. She gave herself up to the comfort of their arms for a minute, and they reluctantly released her for a hug from Ron and a hug from Ginny. Hermione worried about what Mrs. Weasley might be thinking, but when she'd glanced in the older woman's direction she didn't seem upset. There were two other people she didn't recognize, both of them red-headed men so she assumed they must be Bill and Charlie, the oldest Weasley boys. Fred and George dragged her over to them.

"You must be spitfire. I'm Charlie," Charlie said with a smile. Hermione turned and glared at Fred and George who grinned at her unrepentantly and she heard both Bill and Charlie chuckle behind her. She turned back, her cheeks pink and nodded.

"Well, it's actually Hermione," she said finally.

"It's nice to meet you," he said gently. Bill looked between Fred, George and Hermione and nodded to himself.

"I'm Bill, pleasure to meet you," he said with a slight smile on his lips.

Hermione blinked. Both men were very handsome, in their own ways. Hermione could tell that Fred and George took after Charlie, and that someday, they would have the broad shoulders and chest made of a solid wall of muscle that their older brother had. At the moment, they were slender enough, but their shoulders were already hinting at the future. She thought she might like both older brothers, if Fred and George ever left her alone long enough to talk to either one of them. They had missed her and they insisted on dragging her off to show her the house.

"Could I have a moment, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked her kindly, later in the day. Fred and George grumbled, but they let her go into the house with their mother.

"Yes, ma'am? Did you need help in the kitchen?" Hermione asked politely.

"It's not exactly that, dear," Mrs. Weasley looked as though she were struggling to find the right words to say something important. "The boys all tell me that you're an excellent student."

"I suppose so, ma'am. I do try and do my best," Hermione said uncertainly, not sure what Mrs. Weasley wanted.

"Fred and George seem rather taken with you," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, looking at her hands.

"Er, taken with me, ma'am?" Hermione said nervously. Mrs. Weasley frowned slightly to herself.

"They seem to think a lot of you," she amended herself.

"I think a lot of them, too," Hermione said softly, her cheeks turning pink.

"The thing is, the boys have decided that they want to start a company, this, oh, what is it, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. They only received three O.W.L.'s each!" Mrs. Weasley seem overwrought with emotion, and began ranting about their education and their life opportunities. Hermione stared at her in surprise. Only three O.W.L.'s each? That was ridiculous, she knew that Fred and George were both frighteningly intelligent.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but did you want me to do something?" Hermione asked faintly, not quite sure what Mrs. Weasley wanted, but hoping to appease her somehow.

"You're very strict with Ron, yeah? You force him to study, he says," Mrs. Weasley said in a teary voice. Hermione nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. I find with Ron that it's best to be strict," she said firmly. Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"Well, do that with Fred and George," Mrs. Weasley seemed to be begging. "Get them to let go of the Wheezes thing and get them to study. Maybe they'll be able to get into some NEWT level classes and we can salvage their future."

"Mrs. Weasley, I think you may be assuming that I have far more control over your sons than I actually do. I've never asked Fred or George to not do anything. I doubt they'd listen to me," Hermione said with a worried frown.

"Just…just try," Mrs. Weasley said finally. Hermione nodded slowly.

"If it will make you feel better, then, yes, ma'am. I will try," she said quietly. Mrs. Weasley gave her a watery smile and patted her hand.

"You do seem like such a nice girl," she said fondly. "Perhaps everything will work out for the best."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"What…what are you doing?" Hermione asked curiously. Ron glanced over her and grinned.

"De-gnoming the lawn," he said and flung the object in his hands. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Do you have to do it like that?" Hermione asked weakly. Ron blinked at her.

"Well, yeah. You have to make them dizzy first," he explained.

Hermione swallowed painfully and nodded. She hadn't meant the swinging or the flinging. She meant the fact that there were _five_ half-naked Weasley boys striding about shirtless in their yard. Fred and George had a lot more muscle on their lean frames than she had previously realized, and it made her knees feel a little weak. Her cat Crookshanks' tail was thrashing wildly as he observed the activity. He went after one of the dirty little things who had snapped its nasty razor sharp teeth at him.

"Oh! Crookshanks, no! You'll get hurt!" Hermione took off after her cat. Fred moved easily to the side and scooped Hermione up, flipping her over his shoulder. "Fred! Damnit, Fred, you put me down now!"

"Now, spitfire, gnomes are nasty, disgusting little blighters, and while Crookshanks can probably hold his own, you would probably end up hurt." Fred said reasonably. Bill and Charlie had turned to look at the tiny girl tossed easily over their younger brother's shoulder.

"George!" she wailed. "George Weasley, help me!"

"Is she right?" Bill asked George quietly with a searching look for his younger brother. George nodded.

"Yeah. She's always right," George replied and moved over toward his brother. He plucked Hermione off of Fred's shoulder and gently set her down on the ground. Her chest was heaving, her hazel eyes were glowing and her fists were clenching and unclenching with rage. Her hair had begun to frizz and crackle and was standing out from her with power that was so strong it was palpable.

"So that would be why you call her spitfire?" Charlie asked cautiously. Fred looked at him with a besotted smile and nodded. Charlie started to laugh, but looked at the angry girl in front of him and thought better of it.

"You can't," she was sputtering with rage and shaking a finger at Fred and George. "You can't just run around half-naked and grab people like that!"

"I don't think Mum would let us go around all naked," Fred said primly, but the look in his eye belied his tone. Hermione sucked in her breath and glared at him murderously.

"That's not what I meant," she hissed at him.

"So, if Fred had had a shirt on, that would be okay?" George asked with a slight frown, trying to understand why she was so mad.

"Well, yes!" Hermione said as if that were obvious. George grinned wickedly.

"So the major problem was all the naked chest, then?" He asked, just to be sure. Hermione growled, threw up her hands and turned around. She flounced into the house muttering under her breath the whole time. Fred and George exchanged a pleased look.

"What's that look for?" Bill asked.

"She's overcome with emotion at the sight of our half-naked bodies," Fred said with satisfaction. Ron snorted and the twins glared at him.

"What?" George demanded.

"She's going to hex you both," Ron said rolling his eyes. "Ginny'll probably help her. They've gotten close, you know."

"So?"

"We like 'em feisty."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

However exciting the World Cup might have been, running through the woods in the dark trying to escape Death Eaters wasn't exactly boring. Hermione's heart was racing the entire time, and when they finally returned with Mr. Weasley to the tent no one was really surprised when she flung herself at Fred and George who held on to her tightly. Mr. Weasley was not about to let the girls go sleep by themselves in the smaller tent. He decided they could just sleep in the big tent with everyone else. It was safer that way. Fred and George made one of their beds larger and pulled Hermione into it with them. They let Ginny use the other bunk. Bill and Charlie watched all of this with raised eyebrows, but Mr. Weasley just shook his head at them.

"Just mind you don't do anything Mum's going to have kittens about," Bill muttered at Fred and George who looked offended.

"There are Death Eaters traipsing about-"

"not quite sure what _you_ use to evoke-"

"a romantic mood, Bill, old boy-"

"but we've never felt all mushy about Death Eaters."

"Right," Bill said with a firm look in his eyes. "As long as we understand each other."

"Come on, spitfire," George said gently because Hermione was still visibly upset.

"Oh, George," she hiccupped on a sob and put her face in his chest. George glared at Bill as though he were personally responsible for the little witch's breakdown.

"Good night, Bill," Fred said coolly, crawling into the bed and putting a comforting arm around Hermione who leaned against him for comfort.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Mrs. Weasley had been absolutely frantic when they arrived back at the burrow, and had ripped Fred and George away from Hermione to hug them and apologize about the argument they'd had when Harry had arrived. The next few days had been very tense for everyone, but Hermione felt disturbed by the way that Bill and Charlie kept watching her whenever she was with Fred and George. To be honest, they also watched her when she was not with Fred and George. It was as though she were some sort of strange puzzle and they were trying to solve her. The whole thing made her terribly uncomfortable. She hid with Ginny in the attic and they worked on a few things for school. Hermione helped Ginny fix her used textbooks.

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione said cautiously as she carefully held the spell-o-tape.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Would you be offended, if I…if I gave you my books from last year?" Hermione asked. Ginny shrugged.

"These are fine," she said as if that were that. Hermione nodded.

"Okay," she said softly. The Weasleys were a proud family, and they didn't expect handouts from anyone. It was one of the things Hermione liked about all of them, but she wished sometimes that she could help. "It's just…I don't use them, you know? And I don't have any brothers or sisters. It's sort of a shame that no one can use them."

"Well," Ginny said with a slight frown. "My potions book is pretty much gone. I didn't want to tell Mum, but if you've got an extra one, that would be brilliant."

"I do," Hermione said calmly, trying not to look happy or excited. "I'll send Pig for it, if Ron will let me borrow him."

"What is going on between the twins and that Granger girl?" Ginny and Hermione heard Bill's voice clearly and distinctly. Her face flooded with heat and Ginny looked horrified.

"Not sure, they keep circling each other, though. Isn't she supposed to be Ron's friend?" Charlie asked. Ginny scowled at the window.

"You don't think that they're…er," Bill couldn't quite say out loud what he was thinking, but Hermione's face grew even darker, and tears sparkled on her lashes.

"No," Charlie said flatly. "I don't think that at all."

"Well, it's a bit odd, isn't it?" Bill tried again.

"Not really," Charlie replied.

"What do you mean?" Bill asked curiously.

"Well, Bill, really, I'd think you'd realize with the number of twins that run through the family tree," Charlie snapped. "Besides, we're talking about a girl that's not quite fourteen years old. She hardly seems the femme fatale type."

"Oh," Bill said as though something that Charlie'd said made a lot of sense. "Oh, do you think so?"

"I do, actually," Charlie replied. "We'll have to wait and see, of course, but, yeah. Watch the way Mum treats her, I think she guesses."

Ginny and Hermione were both hiding under the open window staring at each other. Ginny had lost the furious look and now appeared rather intensely curious. Hermione was confused. What on earth were they talking about?

"How does Mum treat you?" Ginny whispered as quietly as possible. Hermione blinked at her and shrugged.

"I don't know, she seems very kind," Hermione whispered back. Ginny frowned slightly. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

"No, but I'll try to find out," Ginny whispered. The girls exchanged a look.


	6. The Yule Ball

_A/N: I truly, truly, truly struggled with this chapter. Should it be happy? Should it not? Who gets to take Hermione to the Yule Ball? Really, story wise it __**has**__ to be Krum because Hermione is in the second task. How do I handle that without completely ruining the relationship between our OT3? Augh! I rewrote this whole chapter multiple times. I'm still not sure I'm happy with it, but at some point I must back away and leave it alone. _

Snickering and chortling with strange pantomiming from the Slytherin table alerted Hermione to trouble with a capital 'T'. She grabbed her morning copy of the Daily Prophet and began scanning through it immediately. _Merlin's beard!_ This was bad. Harry was going to lose it. When she got to the part about her and Harry being some sort of couple she sucked in her breath and started choking.

"That…that…the unmitigated gall of the woman!" Hermione was incoherent with rage.

"What does it say?" Harry asked curiously. Hermione started shredding the paper and then muttered an _Incendio_ and watched the scraps of paper burn.

"Nothing that anyone with half a brain would believe for more than one second," Hermione said angrily.

"Well, thank Merlin-"

"we have half a brain."

"Budge over, there, Harry-"

"-need room to comfort our spitfire."

Fred and George sat down on either side of Hermione.

"It's preposterous!" Hermione fumed and waved her hands wildly.

"'Course it is, love, now watch your fork, you almost stabbed George in the eye," Fred soothed. Hermione growled at him.

"It's fine if you'd like to stab me, as long as you promise to kiss it and make it better," George said cheerfully. Hermione started choking again and they pounded on her back to help her.

Later, in her dorm room, Hermione ranted and raved to a sympathetic Ginny who offered her own opinion.

"This is going to upset Mum, you know that right?" Ginny said quietly. Hermione blinked.

"Upset your mother? But, why?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"I think Mum thinks there's something going on with you and the twins. She's going to think you've left them broken hearted or something. She gets a little overprotective sometimes," Ginny explained. Hermione blushed.

"What, with both of them?" She said in a strangled voice.

"Well, of course with both of them," Ginny said in surprise. "Which one would you leave behind?"

"What?" Hermione's eyes were the size of a house elf's and her mouth had dropped open.

"Don't muggles do that?" Ginny asked with a slight frown. Hermione shook her head.

"Er, no. It's illegal to be married to more than one person at a time," Hermione said faintly. Ginny shrugged.

"That seems silly," the younger girl said flatly.

"Silly? How many people can you marry in the wizarding world?" Hermione asked in a subdued voice.

"'M not sure. A lot of the time it has to do with your magic, you know? The larger groups are pretty uncommon. Triads and Quads are fairly unusual, but because we've got so many twins in the Prewett line we've had a fair few," Ginny explained with a wave of her hand.

"Triads…and Quads?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Uh-huh. My Uncles Gideon and Fabian died fairly young, too young to get married, but in the previous generation Wilhelmina and Charlotte Prewett married a Scamander," Ginny said firmly. "Mum said…there was a girl who loved them, but I think she died during the war, too. It's some sort of really sad, tragic story because Mum never talks about it. She always tears up."

"So…so in the wizarding world it's okay to date two boys at the same time?" Hermione felt confused, as though her head might just explode.

"As long as all the parties involved know about each other, yeah," Ginny said with a shrug. "It's not as common, and you might have problems with muggleborns who don't understand, but yeah."

"There isn't anyone at Hogwarts who is dating two people," Hermione said with a frown. Ginny sighed.

"Well, no, there probably wouldn't be. Seriously, Hermione, we have a hard enough time trying to date just one boy or girl. Why on earth would we try to make it even more complicated than it already is?" Ginny stated simply. Hermione thought about that for a minute and then she turned and stared at Ginny.

"Is this it, then?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice.

"Is this what?" Ginny looked confused.

"This triad thing, is this what your Mum thinks is going on?" Hermione asked, blushing furiously. Ginny laughed at her.

"Well, not yet. I think she might see the potential there for it," Ginny said finally.

"Oh," Hermione said softly, her hazel eyes wide.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The Yule Ball had been announced and Hermione sort of thought, after her conversation with Ginny, that the twins might ask her to the ball. She waited patiently for weeks, and nothing happened. In a sick, twisted, punch in the gut from fate, Fred had been teasing Ron relentlessly about how easy it was to ask a girl out, and used Angelina—a good friend of his—as an example. To his shock, she accepted. Katie Bell had used the opportunity to ask George who had stiffened slightly and muttered a quiet yes. She knew that it had been an accident, she knew them too well, and had read their body language easily, but it still hurt. Several days later, she was sitting in the library, minding her own business when Viktor Krum had come up to her and asked her out. Hermione, to her own surprise said yes, even though her heart wasn't in it because her mother had always taught her that it was polite to accept an invitation, if one had no prior commitments. And she didn't have prior commitments. She had…well…nothing, really.

For meals, she was sitting with Harry and Ron because Harry needed her. She knew he did, and he was always grateful for her presence. The first task was past, but a lot of the people in the castle were still being ridiculous about the whole thing. Fred and George were sort of avoiding her, she assumed that it was because they were embarrassed about the Yule Ball, but unable to talk to her about it. On a completely different note, Viktor had taken to following her around the castle, which made her long to punch things. She complained to Ginny who only found it hysterically funny.

"He can't even pronounce my name, Ginny!" she hissed at her friend. Ginny snorted.

"Have him call you some sort of pet name in Bulgarian," she suggested with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh, right, because Fred and George would just love that!" Hermione snorted.

"I can safely say that they would hate it, and Krum's life might very well be endangered, but they'd deserve it, wouldn't they?" Ginny said wickedly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

It was late afternoon, and she was valiantly attempting to read, but Viktor had skulked toward her corner.

"Vould you care to take a valk around the lake?" He asked gruffly. She blinked up at him and sighed inwardly. Well, he was taking her to the ball, she supposed she should be nice to him.

"Sure," she muttered and stood up.

"Hermy-own-ninny," he began uncertainly, and Hermione flinched.

"Stop. Just…stop. Please, isn't there something else you could call me? Maybe something Bulgarian?" She asked desperately.

"If it vould be acceptable to you, I could call you _mila_," He said, blushing. Hermione nodded.

"Great, that's fabulous. Mila, it sounds pretty," she said with a forced smile.

He took her arm as though she were some sort of great lady in a period piece and _escorted_ her down toward the lake. They walked slowly, and she listened politely while Viktor told her about Bulgaria, and about Durmstrang. He was incredibly polite and very formal. Hermione had read up on Durmstrang, and knew that many of the European wizards that lived there were even more old-fashioned than the English ones—if you could believe that. He was certainly behaving like some sort of character from a gothic romance. She was experiencing a sudden urge to call him Mr. Rochester. It was odd, but the stilted, formal interaction was comforting. He kept his distance, but he also kept her company.

"You are an amazing person, _mila_," he said at one point. "You are very intelligent, you are powerful, and also you are beautiful."

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asked in surprise. He frowned at her.

"You know this, of course," he growled at her. She shook her head.

"But the boys, the ones who sit with you, they tell you this?" Viktor pressed.

"Harry and Ron?" She snorted. "Not likely."

He stopped and looked at her with an odd expression. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers in a chaste, but firm kiss. He pulled back and watched her with hooded eyes. This was wrong, it was all wrong. Foreign boys were not supposed to be kissing her. Red-headed boys with laughing eyes were supposed to be kissing her. It was hard for her to breathe, she couldn't seem to force enough air into her lungs.

"You are beautiful." He murmured softly.

"I'm so sorry, I can't…I can't do this," Hermione whispered and then she ran. Her feet barely touched the ground as she fled toward the castle.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The night of the Yule Ball, Hermione knew she looked beautiful, but she was miserable. Ginny stomped her foot at her friend.

"Damnit, Hermione, don't let them do this to you!" Ginny hissed at her. "You are going to have a swell time. You are going to smile and laugh and have the time of your life."

"Ha!" Hermione snapped.

"Come on, girl, where's your Gryffindor pride?" Ginny demanded, her hands on her hips.

"It's on vacation," Hermione muttered. Ginny glared at her and Hermione sighed heavily. "Fine, I'm going to have so much fun, people will want to kill me. Oh wait, they already do."

"Hermione," Ginny said warningly. Hermione gave her a slight smile and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you," she said finally. Ginny shrugged.

"That's what friends do, right?"

"I suppose, but I can't imagine Harry or Ron helping me with my hair," she said with a giggle.

"No, I guess not," Ginny snickered.

"Fine. Let's do this," Hermione took a deep breath and walked out of the dorm room.

The looks on Fred and George's faces was almost worth it. For a second, their brown eyes flared at her, and she knew that they thought she was beautiful. Then they settled for glaring daggers at Viktor for most of the night. She felt a presence behind her, and she knew that it was Fred.

"Can I have this dance?" He asked in a low voice. She looked at him coolly and raised her chin a notch.

"You are all right, _mila_?" Viktor came toward her, concern evident on his face. She glanced at him and smiled gently.

"Yes, thank you. I'm fine," she said. He nodded.

Fred took her hand and led her to the floor. He held her at the exact distance he was supposed to, and Hermione could feel her heart ache. He frowned at her, as he moved her about the floor. She moved gracefully thanks to childhood dance lessons.

"Why are you here with him?" Fred growled finally. She glared at him.

"No one else asked me," she said pointedly. A flash of pain crossed Fred's face.

"Er, about that," he muttered. "We're sorry. We probably should have talked to you about that."

"But you didn't," Hermione said coolly, looking at a point over Fred's shoulder.

"No," he said quietly. "We didn't."

"So you really have no reason to be glaring daggers at poor Viktor, now do you?" She said heatedly.

"Poor Viktor?" Fred sputtered slightly. Hermione glared at him, and he didn't say anything.

"Why didn't you ask me?" Hermione asked finally, her voice low and strained. Fred paled considerably.

"Well, Georgie kept saying that we had to be careful, that you were special, that we couldn't fuck this up…and, well, we did anyway." Fred confessed quietly. Hermione's eyes kept getting wider and wider.

"Wait, you were trying to make sure that you treated me the right way, and totally managed to screw it up? That's your excuse?" Hermione wasn't sure whether she should laugh or cry. Fred shrugged helplessly and looked utterly miserable.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said sadly. Hermione almost stumbled, but caught herself.

"I think we all need to talk, but not tonight. Viktor was smart enough to ask me, and for tonight only, I am his date," Hermione said firmly. Fred glared at Viktor who was slouched against the wall, watching them.

"Well, he better not get any ideas," Fred muttered under his breath. Hermione blushed and looked over his shoulder again. That was a mistake because George was looking at her, she turned her head sharply to avoid looking at either boy.

"Oh, Fred," she sighed. "I'm sure he'll be a gentleman."

"Hmph," Fred said succinctly. "George wants a spin around the floor, as well."

"I should hope so," Hermione said sharply. The twins traded her off deftly, and then it was George holding her at a carefully proper distance. He spent the entire time either looking at her sadly, or glaring viciously at Viktor.

"Sorry, Hermione," were the first words he said to her, and there was such pain there, that her chest tightened.

"Next time, remember that part of treating Hermione carefully is talking to her," she said simply. He shook his head.

"We didn't know what to say," he muttered finally.

"How about, I really like you. Fred really likes you. It would really make us happy if you'd go to the ball with us?" Hermione offered acidly. George blushed.

"That sounds pretty good," he said weakly.

"Honestly! This is like some sort of comedy of errors," Hermione said with a sigh. "I know that you didn't mean for any of this to happen, but you certainly can't yell at Viktor for it. It's not his fault. If you two had just asked me, I could have politely told him no, and explained that I already had a date."

"Yeah," George agreed miserably. Viktor appeared at his shoulder and George let her go with extreme reluctance.

"You are vell, _mila_?" He asked her politely.

"Yes, thank you, Viktor," she replied. He spun her around the floor.

"He's holding her a little too closely," George said darkly.

"Hmm. I think his hands are roaming a bit low, as well," Fred muttered while he glared at Viktor's back.

"What is that _mila_ crap he keeps calling her?" George demanded suddenly. Fred shrugged.

"Dunno. Do we know anyone who speaks Bulgarian?" he asked.

"No." George said sourly.

"She was right, you know," Fred said finally glowering at everyone around him.

"I know. She's always right. Damn her," George muttered.


	7. Tasks and Other Things

George wasn't really ready to have "the talk" with Hermione. She was only fifteen years old, and he and Fred were thinking about forever. The pureblood wizarding world was ancient, and had certain archaic ideas about courting and marriage. Fred and George had grown up in that world and they understood all of the complex rules that governed relationships, but Hermione most certainly did not. He couldn't help but believe that the minute they started talking about what they really wanted, she would run screaming for the hills. He and Fred had dated a few muggle-born witches, and he knew that the muggles had some peculiar ideas about relationships. He was pretty sure that she was their witch, the little girl that they'd found and bonded themselves to at the hoary age of seven years old. If that were so, they were actually already married, or at least a wizarding world recognized variant thereof. He wasn't exactly sure, and he really, really wanted to get his hands on the book which must still be somewhere in the Burrow, but he was pretty sure.

Fred thought George worried too much. They didn't _have_ to tell her that they might or might not be married, or bonded, or whatever. They didn't have to tell her that they wanted to be with her for forever. They could tell her that they wanted to try dating. She liked them, they knew she did. Maybe muggles didn't normally date two blokes at once, but if they could find some sort of book about pureblood marriage customs she'd believe it. Hermione would believe anything that was in a book. Fred scoured the library until he found a thick volume entitled _Marriage Customs among the Pureblood Families of England, Scotland and Wales_ by Bathilda Bagshot. It was a historic perspective that noted the reasons behind the varied customs that had developed in the wizarding world, and he thought it might appeal to Hermione's inner scholar. He checked it out and hauled to Gryffindor tower where he unceremoniously heaved it onto the table their little spitfire was using to study for Harry's next task. She stared at it for a moment and then looked up at him.

"What on earth is this?" She asked in surprise. Fred grinned at her.

"A bit of light reading. Read that, and then we'll all sit down and talk," he explained. She examined the title and blushed. "Don't get any ideas there, spitfire. I chose this one because it explains a lot of the different types and styles of relationships a witch or wizard may enter into, and it gives you a historical perspective as well."

"I see," she said slowly looking at the thick volume. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to read it right away, Fred. Harry needs my help."

"I know that, but it's fairly important that you read it, and understand it before we have our little chat," Fred told her honestly. She looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded.

"That makes sense," she said finally. "But if there's some sort of surprise ball between now and then…"

"We'll ask you. We'll figure out how to disable the girls' staircase and sneak ahead of all the competition," Fred promised. She bestowed a wide smile on him.

"See that you do," she said primly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

_"__Oh this is no use," Hermione said, snapping shut __Weird Wizarding Dilemmas__. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"_

_"__I wouldn't mind," said Fred Weasley's voice. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"_

_Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves._

_"__What're you two doing here?" Ron asked._

_"__Looking for you," said George. "McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, spitfire."_

_"__Why?" said Hermione, looking surprised._

_"__Dunno… she was looking a bit grim, though," said Fred._

_"__We're supposed to take you down to her office," said George._

_Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, who felt his stomach drop. Was Professor McGonagall about to tell Ron and Hermione off? Perhaps she'd noticed how much they were helping him, when he ought to be working out how to do the task alone?_

_"__We'll meet you back in the common room," Hermione told Harry as she got up to go with Ron - both of them looked very anxious. "Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?"_

_"__Right," said Harry uneasily._

Fred and George waited for their spitfire to return that night, but she never did. They slept poorly in the commons room, tossing and turning on the couches. In the morning, they shuffled out to watch the second task, and hopefully find Hermione. Needless to say, the twins were less than amused when they discovered that _their_ spitfire was the thing that was most precious to Viktor Krum. They didn't really think that Dumbledore would let anything happen to the people held captive at the bottom of the lake, but if anything did they would have a few things to discuss with Krum.

"We have to do something-"

"-about that man."

When Hermione was pulled out of the water, the twins gleefully elbowed Krum aside and pulled her into their arms.

"You are not supposed to be here," Krum said gruffly. "This area is for champions."

"I'd like to see you stop us," Fred said with a feral smile.

"He can always _try_," George said brightly, his eyes daring Krum to be that stupid.

"S-s-stop it," Hermione chattered at him. Madame Pomfrey moved the twins aside to administer potions to their spitfire. Then she was back in their arms, and George had his face pressed against her neck. "I wasn't in any real danger. Surely you both know that?"

"Knowing in the mind and knowing in the heart are two vastly different things," George muttered against her ear and she shivered.

Fred and George picked her up and carried her back toward the castle, steadfastly ignoring Krum who tried to follow them and protest their intrusion on his special moment with Hermione. George carried her, cradling her against him, while Fred did a warming charm on the blanket she was wrapped in. She pressed her cold face against George's chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Mum definitely isn't going to like this," Ginny muttered to Hermione as she read the article in Witch Weekly.

"Yes, I know. Ron told me. I'm a scarlet woman," Hermione said scathingly. Ginny snorted.

"There's absolutely nothing in here about the twins, but everybody at the tournament saw them swarm you and carry you off with Krum trailing behind you," Ginny muttered to herself. Hermione suppressed a giggle at the memory.

"They do seem to be a bit over-protective," Hermione observed calmly. Ginny snorted again.

"Possessive is more like it," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"Why does your mother believe everything in print? She knows the stuff about the ministry is usually wrong," Hermione said reasonably. Ginny just looked at her.

"When it comes to her family, all bets are off. If Mum feels that one of her own is being threatened or hurt she can get a little mental," Ginny said as diplomatically as she could. Hermione's eyes widened slightly.

"I see," she said quietly, her face pensive.

When Hermione had said that she wouldn't have time to read the book Fred had found, she had been absolutely correct. They had barely seen their spitfire lately. She was practically living in the library, and when she wasn't doing that she and Harry were studying hexes, curses and shielding charms like no one's business. Fred and George had watched them practicing a few times, from a distance, and they had come to the rather disturbing conclusion that Harry could probably take them in a duel. Maybe even at the same time. Hermione was no slouch either, she had to be good to offer Harry any kind of competition. Hermione was working hard to save Harry, and they were proud of her. Their talk could always come later.

By the time for the third task came around, Ginny was proven right; Both Bill and Mrs. Weasley seemed glacially cool to Hermione, who could not help but look to the twins for reassurance, her hazel eyes wide. Harry told Mrs. Weasley that Hermione was not, nor had she ever been his girlfriend, and begged her not to believe Rita Skeeter. Mrs. Weasley seemed to believe Harry's words, but it was the interaction between Fred and George and Hermione that was most telling. The twins stood up and grabbed her, and pulled her between them on the bench. Fred slung an arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear that she shouldn't worry. George slid an arm around her waist and stroked lazy circles on her back. After that, Bill and Mrs. Weasley seemed much more friendly to Hermione for which she was grateful. George looked at Fred, and there was a wealth of communication in that single glance. They were going to have to sit the family down and have a chat about how they could and could not treat their spitfire. Fred agreed wholeheartedly. There was no excuse for their family to hurt their spitfire's feelings. Especially if it was over some stupid article in some asinine publication.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Harry was an all right bloke. He was mental, but he was all right. Fred and George still couldn't believe that they were holding a thousand galleons. They'd pinched each other, and it wasn't a dream, then they grinned at one another. _Brilliant_. The joke shop was really, truly going to happen. It was part of their master plan, the joke shop, and with the money to make it a reality, the rest of their plan wasn't too far behind. Fred knew he'd never be happy in a Ministry job like Dad or Percy the amazing prat. Bill was a curse-breaker, and Charlie worked with dragons, so cool and dangerous were already taken. George had said that they were already pranksters, so a joke shop was a logical choice. Fred couldn't help but agree.

Phase One had been planning, which they had done ad nauseum, and Fred was heartily sick of it. Phase Two was research & development, which was a lot more fun. They just had to spend their last year figuring out what the average, and the un-average, Hogwarts students needed, desired and dreamed about and they would be making galleons hand over fist. That would give them two more years to make their business successful and save up for…well, they could talk more about that later. George had a far-away look in his eye that told Fred that his twin was already thinking about the research & development part.

As both boys got off the train they froze for a second when they saw their spitfire pull Harry in for a quick hug and then kiss the Boy-Who-Might-Not-Live on the cheek. They frowned darkly at the scene and glared at Harry for a moment.

"Just because he's funding our dreams-"

"does NOT give him permission-"

"to kiss our spitfire."

Hermione skipped over to them, her hazel eyes shining.

"You're going to write me this summer, right?" She asked, her cheeks turning pink. Fred and George were still frowning slightly. She frowned back at them. "What?"

"Why did you kiss him?" George demanded. Hermione blinked at him.

"Well, it's what siblings, do…isn't it?" She said uncertainly. "I just wanted Harry to know that I think of him as family."

"I can promise you that I have never kissed _any_ of my brothers," Fred said, a look of disgust on his face.

"You've kissed Ginny on the cheek though, I bet," Hermione said with a slight pout to her lips. George shrugged.

"I guess so," he agreed sourly.

"It's the same thing," Hermione insisted, her eyes flashing slightly. "Harry is like my brother."

Fred and George looked unimpressed with this argument. Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously, and remembering the vicious hexing they'd helped give Malfoy, the twins took a cautious step back. Hermione lips curved ever so slightly in satisfaction.

"Now, are you going to write to me, or not?" Hermione asked with a raised brow.

"We'll write you, spitfire," they told her.

"Excellent!" She gave them each a quick hug and then ran toward her parents, waving.

"Maybe we can convince Mum to invite her straight away," George said thoughtfully. Fred nodded as they watched their spitfire moving away from them.


	8. Grimmauld Place

_A/N: From here on out, Hermione just keeps getting older. Logically, there will be smoochies at some point in the future. If smoochies disturb you, you should probably stop reading. That leads one to wonder why you started reading a story about a triad with an "M" rating in the first place…_

_Summer before 5th year, there may be some snippets of OotP, but I wouldn't hold my breath. _

When Hermione had received her invitation to stay with the Weasley family, she had expected that she would be going back to the Burrow, and she could hardly wait to see that crazy, haphazard magical household. Needless to say, she was rather surprised to see Mr. Moody come through the floo with Mr. Weasley. She tried to conceal her unease, but Mr. Moody seemed to notice everything; he gave her a grimly approving nod when he noticed her wary appraisal. 12 Grimmauld Place was not the sort of thing she'd been expecting at all. She'd been so thrilled to see Sirius Black again that she had given him a huge hug, kissed him on the cheek, and thanked him for allowing her to stay for the summer. He'd given her an odd look, and told her she was welcome. Mere moments later, Fred and George apparated at the bottom of the stairs, grabbed her, and hauled her unceremoniously up them. They pulled her into a bedroom, a quick glance around at mysterious boxes piled atop one another with WWW emblazoned on their sides telling her it must be theirs, and each of them hugged her tightly.

"Missed you, spitfire."

She looked up at both of them and smiled brilliantly, her hazel eyes luminous. Fred took a small step toward her, a strange look in his eyes, but George grabbed his arm and shot him a look.

"Did you read that book, yet, spitfire?" George asked her. Hermione frowned slightly.

"Well, not really. I was only able to start it," She explained.

"Please read it as quickly as you can," Fred said in slightly strained voice. Hermione nodded. "Come on, we'll show you the room you're sharing with Ginny."

Hermione had stayed up very late for several nights in a row, and had read the entire book, just as the boys had asked. She thought her eyebrows might be permanently stuck in a raised position. She had never known that there were so many different types of bonds a witch or wizard might enter into. Some weren't romantic at all, in fact there was one that made a sibling bond that made her immediately think of Harry. According to the book, it would make him her real brother in every possible sense including legally and magically, except the sharing of genetic code. Technically, she supposed it would make her a Potter, or Harry a Granger. Of those that were romantic, or what the book had described in some detail as those where the emotions involved were not agapic or platonic, there were a plethora that had staggered the young witch. There were more than ten different types of legally and magically binding bonds that three persons might enter into. She had read those several times, paying careful attention to what the differences and the similarities were. There was one that was for gay and lesbian wizards and witches. They could bond to a person who would promise to help them conceive a child, and upon the successful birth of the child, the bond would sever itself. What impressed Hermione the most was that that particular bonding ritual was hundreds of years old, and was still recognized by the MoM. While the wizarding world seemed to be terribly backwards in some things, obviously it could teach the muggle world a bit about acceptance. Well, as long as it wasn't beings of other species.

Hermione had a million questions and she couldn't sleep. It was very late, past midnight, but she decided to slip down to the kitchen, have a butterbeer, and look over her notes. She pulled on her robe, and cast a _silencio_ on her feet. After finally reaching the kitchen she pushed open the door to Sirius and Remus sitting at the kitchen table drinking firewhiskey and talking in low voices.

"Oh," she said in surprise. Both men turned to look at her.

"It's a bit late, isn't it Hermione?" Remus said gently. She flushed slightly.

"I suppose it is, sir, but I couldn't sleep," she said, clutching her notes to her chest.

"Is that homework, Hermione?" Sirius asked her with an uneasy expression similar to the one Ron and Harry sported when they felt she was being unnaturally studious.

"Er…not exactly, sir," Hermione said flushing in embarrassment. Both men flushed slightly.

"Please, don't call us sir," Sirius said with a vague look of distaste. "He's Remus, and I'm Sirius."

"I'm not your professor any longer," Remus said mildly, "so there's no use telling me it's inappropriate."

Hermione considered both men for several long minutes and then she nodded. She sat down and grabbed a bottle of butterbeer. She drank from it and looked through her notes, making small notations to herself for later. She looked up and realized that Sirius and Remus were sitting there uncertainly. She frowned. She'd probably interrupted a conversation about the Order. Or maybe women, that idea gave her a flash of sudden inspiration. She sat up straight and looked at of them, and they looked back at her with slightly confused expressions.

"Er, you're both men," she said after a moment. Sirius snorted into his drink and Remus cracked a smile.

"There have been rumors," Remus said dryly.

"And you've probably been with scads of witches," Hermione continued determinedly. Remus blushed.

"Well, Padfoot here has been with scads," he said with an embarrassed shrug.

"Well, s-er, Remus, you must have been with a fair few," Hermione pressed on. "And maybe a wizard or two at some point."

Both men frowned at her.

"Look, Hermione, what exactly are you trying to say," Remus looked concerned. Hermione sucked up all her courage.

"I want to know about threesomes," she said firmly.

Sirius spewed firewhiskey across the table and all over Remus' face. He began to choke violently and Hermione jumped up to pound on his back. Meanwhile, Remus pulled out a handkerchief and mopped his face with it. Sirius gasped air into his lungs and stared, horrified, at Hermione.

"Look, Hermione," he began heatedly, but she interrupted him.

"Wait, that was the wrong word, wasn't it, really it's triads I want to know about. Have you ever met a triad? Or have you been part of one? Or, well, anything you might know," Hermione concluded with a shrug.

"Why exactly are you so keen for information on triads," Remus asked with concern. Hermione was proud of herself for not blushing.

"No reason," she lied. From their knowing looks, they weren't buying it.

"Now look, Hermione," Sirius began again. "You're only fifteen. That's fairly young, especially when you figure that a witch could live to see two hundred. I think it's a bit early for you to be…well…thinking about anything like that."

"Really," Hermione said coldly, her eyes narrowing dangerously on both men. "I suppose you waited until you were seventeen then, Sirius? And Remus, I'm sure you did, too."

Both men wouldn't look at her, and that only confirmed what she already knew. Sometimes, wizards made her want to hex things.

"Why are you so interested in this, Hermione?" Remus asked gently. "It just seems a little odd."

"Does it?" Hermione asked curiously. "I suppose I'm curious. Did you know that in the muggle world it's illegal to be married to more than one person at one time?"

"Is it really?" Sirius asked curiously. "How very strange. What do they do if there are three people who are soul-bonded to one another?"

"I don't know. I imagine only two of them are able to get married, or they can't marry at all," Hermione said with a slight frown. She twisted her bracelet and suppressed a shudder.

"Well that hardly seems fair to anyone," Remus said with a slight frown. Hermione shrugged.

"It isn't," she said flatly.

"Well," Sirius said with a look of intense concentration. "I think I've only ever met one or two triads in my entire life, and one of them was rather elderly by the time I met them."

"Was that the Scamanders?" Hermione asked curiously. Sirius blinked at her.

"Er, yes, it was. How did you know?" He said in surprise. Hermione ignored his question.

"What about the Prewett twins, were they the other triad?" Hermione asked urgently. Sirius nodded.

"You remember, Remus," Sirius said quietly. Remus nodded with a slight smile.

"Gideon and Fabian knew from the moment they met her, but she was five years younger than they were. They were waiting for her, well, you'd probably think it odd," Remus said cautiously. Hermione sat forward in her seat.

"No," she said firmly. "I don't. She was five years younger than they were, but they knew she was part of their triad? How did they know?"

"There's a spell, somewhere, that the wizards, or witches, can perform to show them who their soul's mate is," Sirius explained. "The Prewetts did it when they were in their last year at Hogwarts. Bit of a surprise to learn it was a second year chit of a girl."

"So they decided to wait for her?" Hermione asked curiously. Remus nodded.

"She'd just turned seventeen, and they had begun to court her when…" Remus stopped speaking and looked very sad. Hermione swallowed nervously. No wonder Molly didn't like to speak of it—the poor Prewett twins, who had been so patient, and waited so long for their soul's mate, only to have everything they'd dreamed about for years destroyed in a heartbeat.

"So they had to wait until she was seventeen?" Hermione asked after several moments of respectful silence. Sirius frowned and shook his head.

"Not really, pureblood culture would have found an immediate bonding ceremony perfectly acceptable, with a consummation of the bond just a few years later, but the Prewett twins wanted their bonded to have a choice, and to feel as though she'd had a life. I can only imagine how hard it was to stand by and watch her go on dates with boys her own age, but they were Gryffindors through and through," Sirius said carefully. He didn't want to repulse Hermione with some of the more archaic customs, but she'd asked and he meant to answer as honestly as he could.

"What if she'd been older? What if there had only been a two, or three year difference?" Hermione asked curiously.

"They might have tried to start courting her while in school. Or they might still have waited. I believe they felt that she was special enough, that it was worth it to accord her every courtesy." Remus said gently. Hermione nodded. That sounded eerily familiar. She twisted her bracelet around her wrist and then thought of something.

"What if…what if they had done the bonding ritual right away? How would that have affected the girl? Would she still have been allowed to date?" Hermione asked with a slight frown. Sirius and Remus looked extremely uncomfortable. They looked at one another and then looked at Hermione.

"Hermione, a bonding ritual for a triad like that is far more binding than your muggle marriage. It entwines the magic of the three individuals inextricably. While it doesn't necessarily impart a fidelity charm, it would…look, how much do you know about magic and sex?" Sirius asked finally. Hermione flushed.

"Nothing," she said after a moment. "It's not as though Hogwarts offers a class, you know."

"Okay, so for wizards and witches magic is a part of who they are. You understand this, I'm sure," Remus said with a slight smile. "I believe _Hogwarts, A History_ mentions it in the introduction."

"Yes," Hermione said with a nod.

"Magic calls to magic," Sirius explained carefully, "sometimes a person's magic is almost as important or sometimes is more important than a physical response. Or I suppose you might say it influences the physical response. If two people's magic is completely incompatible when they kissed it would be like…erm…nails on a chalkboard, I believe is the expression."

"What does that have to do with a bonded triad?" Hermione asked in confusion. Remus looked very thoughtful for a moment.

"When magic becomes linked in a bond like that, the touch of others—in a romantic way, not like the hug of a parent or a sibling—can become unpleasant. It doesn't hurt, but it isn't fun," Remus explained.

"So if she had tried to kiss other boys, or if other boys tried to kiss her, she would find it disturbing…or panic maybe?" Hermione tried to be as casual as possible, and she didn't think that either Sirius or Remus noticed.

"I think that sounds like a fair description," Remus said with a nod.

"So these sorts of things always end in a soul bonding ritual?" Hermione asked. Sirius and Remus looked blankly at her.

"Well, they're so rare, it's difficult to say," Remus said thoughtfully. "I suppose they usually do, but pureblood society in general is very heavy on marriage bonds and magical issue. The sooner the better for both, in their opinion."

"Thank you so much," Hermione said with a happy smile. "You have helped me tremendously. She kissed each man on the cheek and practically skipped out of the kitchen. She turned before she left. "Good night, Sirius. Remus."

"Good night, Hermione," both man answered. They stared at one another after she left.

"What on earth do you suppose she's up to?" Sirius asked tensely. Remus snorted.

"I doubt she's after your delectable body," Remus said wryly. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Oh, hilarious. No, you don't think…Hermione and Harry and Ron? I mean, we'd be able to tell, wouldn't we?" Sirius asked nervously.

"I don't think that's the situation at all," Remus said honestly. "Both of them would kill Ron in a week. Besides, I would swear to you on my wand that Hermione perceives Harry as a brother."

"Well, what a thing to spring on a person! 'Tell me about threesomes'," he muttered in disgust. "That took years off, Moony, years!"

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

How did she feel about Fred and George? Hermione thought about that for a while before she fell asleep. Fred and George. George and Fred. They were identical down to the last freckle, but to her they were not identical at all. She always knew who was who. Even when they stood behind her, even with her eyes closed, she knew which twin was standing near her. She liked them both, and when she had learned that in the wizarding world it was okay to like them both, a feeling of happiness had bubbled up inside her. It felt right to her. It felt…normal? Was that even the right word? Normal was relative—what was normal in Sri Lanka was not normal in Iceland. Hermione knew that somehow, some way she and the twins were already bonded. It explained why Viktor's kiss had upset her so much. _Forever_. That should frighten her. She was only fifteen for Merlin's sake. Well, almost sixteen, really, but still. She chewed on her lip for a moment. The scary bit was that she wasn't frightened at all. Shouldn't she be? What kind of person was completely okay with this sort of thing? Maybe…maybe it was because she was a witch? The magical world was very, very different from the muggle world. She _was_ a witch. Maybe there was more to that than just her magic. Or maybe her magic helped define that part of her as well. Sirius and Remus had sort of hinted at that—the way a person's magic could influence their relationships. Hermione welcomed sleep when it came and gave herself up willingly to its embrace.

The next morning she snuck down the hall with stealthy skill, and slid into the twins' bedroom. They were already awake and working on something in the corner. They stopped immediately and turned to look at her.

"Spitfire," Fred greeted her with a warm smile. George flashed a smile her way as well.

"I read it," she said quietly. The atmosphere changed almost immediately. Both twins stood up and looked at her cautiously.

"And what did you think of it?" George asked softly. She tilted her head to the side and nibbled her lower lip.

"It explains a lot," she said finally holding up her wrist. Both boys tensed at that.

"We can wait," Fred said in a low voice. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I can't," she said flatly. Fred and George blinked at her.

"Er, come again?" Fred asked.

"We're already bonded. It's…uncomfortable to say the least for me to kiss other boys," Hermione said with a slight frown. Fred and George frowned back at her. "I can't date anyone else, I might as well get to date you two."

"You want to…date…us?" George asked blankly. Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know. Can you date someone who's technically your husband?" She asked dryly. Fred and George shrugged.

"Who exactly have you been kissing?" Fred demanded. Hermione's lips thinned.

"Viktor kissed me once, and I panicked. I kissed him at the end of the ball, and it was…not pleasant. He wasn't a bad kisser…it just felt…wrong." Hermione said reluctantly. The twins had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, that. Yeah, we sort of noticed ourselves," Fred muttered. Hermione raised a brow at both boys.

"Well?" She asked. The twins grinned at her, grabbed her and dragged her down the hall. "What are you two doing?"

Fred opened a broom closet and pulled her, and George, in with him. He and George cast several charms, not the least of which was one that made it impossible to open the door. It was dark in the closet, but there was enough room for all three of them, and he knew it was safe because he and George had been forced to clean it last week.

"Fred?" Hermione's voice was uncertain and he sighed.

"I want to kiss you, and I really don't need every member of my family ruining the moment," he explained. George snorted.

"Thanks, Fred," he said dryly.

"You know what I meant," Fred muttered.

"Yeah."

"If you two would like to be alone, I can leave," Hermione said impatiently. They chuckled at that.

"Hardly," George said.

"Been wanting to do this for a while," Fred said in a distracted sort of voice.

"Really? Since when?" Hermione asked in the darkness of the broom closet.

"Ever since you punched that ferret in the face," Fred said thickly and then he kissed her.

The hard wall of the broom closet supported her as Fred's lips moved against hers. She put her hands against his chest and she could feel the hard muscle under his shirt. She clutched the shirt in her hands to give her something to hold onto because his kisses were making her knees all wobbly, and she was finding it difficult to stand. Her lips were tingling, and she was feeling…very warm…everywhere. She pulled back reluctantly.

"Air," she gasped. "Need air."

"Better now?" George asked, his fingertips touching her arm. The skin where he touched tingled pleasantly.

"Yeah," she said after she caught her breath. Then George was kissing her.

He hauled her up against the hard length of his body and she melted against him as though she were boneless. Her arms wound around his neck and she kissed him back eagerly. It was funny how each one of them kissed her differently. Fred's kisses were like fireworks—an explosion of passion that left her breathless and weak-kneed. George's kisses were a slow burn that kept building and building until she didn't know her own name anymore. He finally broke their kiss, reluctantly.

"I think we need a break," George managed to gasp out.

"Might be for the best," Fred agreed. "Go have some breakfast, spitfire. George and I have dates with very, very cold showers."

"Not that we probably won't sneak kisses later," George warned her.

"Later," Hermione agreed. Fred and George removed the spells on the broom closet and sent Hermione down the hall. She wandered down the stairs in daze and managed to make it to the kitchen.

"Hermione!" Ginny was waving her hand in front of her face. She started and sat up.

"Yes, Ginny?" she asked.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked thoughtfully.

"I think so," Hermione replied.

"Good, Mum needs help cleaning out the rooms. All sorts of nasty little things everywhere. Don't touch anything if you can help it," Ginny warned her. "Ron will probably try to get out of helping, but I say we just save one of the little brutes for his bed. Then he'll help."

"Okay," Hermione said with a slight smile for her friend.

"Okay? Aren't you going to lecture me about proper treatment of magical creatures?" Ginny demanded.

"Not today," Hermione said with a sunny smile. Ginny frowned suspiciously at her friend.

"I don't trust you when you act like that," Ginny muttered. "It makes me nervous."


	9. Cleaning House

_Still Summer before 5__th__ year, still at No. 12 Grimmauld Place, still a lingering threat of smoochies. _

Cleaning house may sound innocuous and fairly boring, but when it involved various Dark creatures inhabiting each room you were cleaning it was less so. The first time she was bitten by a doxy she cried out in pain, and the twins apparated to her instantly. George's eyes widened and he shoved a vial of potion into her uninjured hand. She drank it without even questioning him.

"What was that?" She asked after she had drunk it. Fred grinned at her.

"Doxy antidote. We use a lot of it in our experiments," he said. Then he frowned slightly. "Why aren't you wearing the safety gear?"

"Oh, Ron said-," Hermione started and Fred and George turned to glare at their brother.

"Yes, well, Ron is an idiot," George said darkly with an unpleasant expression on his face.

"Hey!" He complained. Fred and George just glared at him.

"I'm sure you have a brilliant reason for trying to get Hermione to do all the work without any safety gear," Fred said coldly.

"C'mon, spitfire. Let's go see Mum, she's probably got some extra gear for you," George said firmly. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the kitchen.

Molly was in the kitchen preparing dinner, and Sirius was sitting at the table eating a sandwich with Bill when Fred and George ushered Hermione in and made her sit down.

"Hermione! Are you all right, dear?" Molly asked carefully with a quick glance at the twins. Sirius watched Molly curiously.

"No, ma'am, I was bitten by a doxy. Thank goodness Fred and George popped in with antidote," Hermione said in a strained voice. The antidote stopped the venom, but the bite was still painful.

"I don't know why you wouldn't let us sell Ron when we had the chance, Mum," Fred groused as he rummaged through cupboards.

"Here," George said and tossed Fred the first aid kit. They sat on either side of her, completely focused on cleaning her wound and bandaging it.

"The twins mentioned safety gear?" Hermione said hopefully. Molly gasped.

"He didn't get you any safety gear? Oh! That boy!" Molly had to restrain herself from yelling. If she did it would only start Mrs. Black's portrait yelling and that was unpleasant for everyone.

"Hello, Hermione," Bill said politely from the end of the table. Hermione glanced up from watching George carefully dress her wound.

"Hello, Bill, are you visiting?" Hermione asked brightly. He shrugged.

"Thought I'd come visit Mum," Bill said casually, with a significant look at the twins who's expressions darkened.

"And so sweet of you, dear," Molly said in a suspiciously thick voice. "Would you boys care for pudding?"

Sirius looked somewhat nonplussed at being referred to as a boy, but he held out his plate silently so that Molly could place a large wedge of pie on it. She did the same to Bill and tried to keep busy puttering about the kitchen, but Sirius noticed that her gaze kept sliding toward the twins and Hermione. Their bright hair was bent toward her and they seemed to be speaking to her. She nodded at one of them, and both boys stood up.

"We'll be right back, Mum. See she stays?" One of them said to Molly. She nodded, slightly distracted.

"Of course, dear," she said absently. She glanced at Hermione and something flickered in her face for just an instant. Sirius frowned to himself. The twins apparated back and one of them handed her a small vial.

"Thank you, George," Hermione said softly and drank the vial. Sirius' eyebrows rose. As far as he knew, no one could tell the twins apart. He glanced at Bill in surprise and saw that the curse-breaker had a small, knowing smile.

"She always knows," Bill murmured softly so that the twins couldn't hear.

"Indeed," Sirius said softly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Dear, if I could have a word?" Molly asked gently one night. Hermione hid a smile. She had come to expect these little summer chats with Mrs. Weasley about her intentions toward the twins.

"Of course, ma'am," Hermione said with a genuine smile. She sat down at the kitchen table and waited patiently while Mrs. Weasley poured tea for the both of them.

"You know that because You-know-who has returned that the Order has started again," Mrs. Weasley began quietly, her fingers worrying a handkerchief in her hands.

Hermione nodded. She knew that the Weasley men that were old enough were all members, except Percy the Prat (but they didn't mention him because then Mrs. Weasley would cry), and she had seen Mrs. Weasley's fear eat away at her. It must be terrible, to know that at any moment your husband, or your son, might be killed…might never come home-especially if you'd already lost other family members. She thought the Weasley family was very brave, but she knew it must be hard on Mrs. Weasley with her memories that must stoke her fears.

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione said quietly.

"I expect," and here Mrs. Weasley's voice grew strained, as though she might start crying, "that after graduation Fred and George will join."

"I expect they will, ma'am," Hermione agreed. She knew they were already planning on it, just as she was. Mrs. Weasley nodded and clutched the handerkerchief for a moment, then she took several steadying breaths.

"In war," she said quietly, "things can happen in an instant, in a second. One day, you have everything you ever wanted, and then next it is all gone."

"I understand that, ma'am," Hermione said quietly. And she did. Mrs. Weasley was terrified that her sons would be killed before they'd had a chance to live their lives. Just like Gideon and Fabian. Her heart ached in that moment for the older woman.

"I know that the children make fun of Arthur and I, call us old-fashioned," Mrs. Weasley shrugged. "I'm not about to throw away my upbringing or my beliefs, that's not what I mean. What I'm trying to tell you is that when you find happiness, you take hold of it with both hands, and don't let go."

"No, ma'am, I have no intentions of letting go," Hermione said honestly. Mrs. Weasley's eyes flickered to hers and she looked as though she wanted to say something, but thought better of it.

"If…if something happens, you will always have a place with us," Mrs. Weasley said finally with a look of fierce determination on her face. Hermione felt all the blood drain from her face. She meant if the twins died. Just the thought of them, with their laughing brown eyes suddenly lifeless made her shudder.

"Thank you, ma'am," Hermione said softly. Mrs. Weasley patted her hand absently.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Hermione and Ginny were sitting in their room laying on their respective beds talking about boys. Well, mostly about the fact that Harry was a bit thick, and would probably have to be hit in the head with a rogue bludger before he noticed Ginny. Hermione offered the only advice that seemed reasonable. She suggested that Ginny ignore Harry, or treat him as though he were a brother.

"Does that work with Fred and George?" Ginny asked with a sly smile. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"They have never ignored me," she said dryly. Ginny stuck out her tongue at her friend.

"Why not, d'you suppose?" Ginny asked thoughtfully, staring at their ceiling. Hermione's stomach clenched, and her earlier conversation with Mrs. Weasley echoed in her head. She made a quick decision, and sat up.

"I suppose it's because of this," Hermione said quietly, holding out her naked wrist. Ginny's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Is that what I think it is?" she whispered. Hermione nodded. "So I was right! When did you guys do _that_? Did you consummate it? Mum's going to have a litter when she sees it!"

"When I was five and they were seven, _NO_, and please don't tell!" Hermione whispered back urgently.

"You've had that since you were five? How on earth did they manage that?" Ginny asked in surprise. Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't remember. I had just always had it, but my parents wanted it covered up," Hermione said with a shrug, carefully putting her bracelet back on. Ginny frowned slightly.

"This changes a lot," she said finally. Hermione paled.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, you're my sister-in-law. Or my sister-in-magic anyway. You're family," Ginny said firmly.

"You're Mum already thinks of me that way and she doesn't know about the bond yet," Hermione said quietly. "She said if anything…happened…I'd always have a place with you guys."

"I can see that, I mean, you'd have to be blind and stupid to not see the way you three are. If you haven't even consummated the bond yet, it's going to be really, really strong." Ginny said thoughtfully. Hermione shook her head and bit back a laugh.

"How do you even know this stuff?" Hermione asked.

"I read," Ginny sniffed and lifted her chin. "Plus, I'm a pureblood. People sit around and talk about stuff like this for _fun_. My Aunt Muriel goes on for _hours_. It's enough to make you want to stab yourself."

Hermione and Ginny were giggling at the thought of stabbing themselves to escape tea with Aunt Muriel when Hermione gasped and sat up straight. _Rage. Anger_. _Frustration. _The rage was overwhelming in its ferocity. She whimpered slightly, frightened by the intensity of the emotions. Fear raced through her. What was happening? She looked to Ginny, her eyes wide and terrified. Ginny paled and stared back at her.

"Hermione? Are you all right?" She asked cautiously. Hermione shook her head.

The only thing that she could think of…the only thing that made sense was…_the twins_. Hermione jumped up and ran blindly, following the tug of her bond, which was pulling so strongly at the moment it was almost painful. She burst into the kitchen, and stood in the doorway panting, tears on her cheeks. There seemed to be a larger number of people than normal in the kitchen, but they were a blur to her. She glanced toward Fred and George and realized that they seemed startled to see her. She took a breath and realized that most of the adults in the room were part of the Order. Ginny slammed into her back, knocking her further into the kitchen.

"Are they okay?" Ginny asked, her voice sharp with fear. Hermione shot her a look over her shoulder and both girls smiled weakly.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hermione said. "Er, what's going on? Why is Sirius strangling Mundungus?"

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Hermione was sprawled across George's bed reading while the boys worked on one of their esoteric projects. Occasionally, one of them would ask her a question and she would answer to the best of her ability. Many of their questions were deeply technical and involved arcane magical theory and practical applications thereof. They were working on extremely complex magics, and she was incredibly impressed with them. In fact, the level of intelligence, creativity and focus required to do what they were doing sort of turned her on. She bit her lip and tried not to think about that. Both of them looked up at her suddenly and grinned at her.

"Now, why on earth-"

"-are you thinking about _that_-"

"at this particular moment?"

"Have I ever mentioned that smart men…um…excite me?" She asked innocently, her voice husky. Two sets of chocolate eyes burned into her.

"Not fair, woman!"

"This is time sensitive, can't leave it alone!"

"Sorry," she murmured. "I'll leave then."

They growled at her, but sighed and let her go in the end. She leaned down and gave each a quick, hard kiss and then wandered out to look for Ginny. Hermione moved quietly downstairs, and peeked in the library. Ginny wasn't there, but Ron and Remus were playing chess while Sirius watched and gave Remus advice. Hermione smiled fondly at the scene they made, and turned toward the kitchen. Molly smiled at her when she came in and she smiled back. Ginny was sitting at the table with Bill and Mr. Weasley.

"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere," Hermione said and sat down next to her friend. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"You were?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes," Hermione said firmly with a significant look in her eye. Ginny snorted. She glanced over toward Bill and Mr. Weasley.

"Hello, Bill, Mr. Weasley. How are you?" She asked politely. Mr. Weasley smiled at Hermione.

"Well as can be expected I suppose," he said gently. Hermione understood what he meant. Bill snorted.

"At least at Gringott's I know what I'm dealing with. The Goblins are nothing if not predictable," he muttered to his father.

Ginny's mouth tightened slightly, and Hermione's eyes narrowed. What she wouldn't give for five minutes alone with Percy Weasley. He'd never know what hit him. Perhaps it was for the best, the last place Percy should be was at Order headquarters. Circe save them, he'd probably record every last thing and hand it willingly to the damn ministry. She sighed. She wished Harry would get here soon, she missed him terribly, and she was so worried about him.

_A/N: I'm going to skip the reunion with Harry because it's in OotP, and JKR does an excellent job of it. This is/was a big year for everybody anyway. Btw, thank you so much to everyone for the kind words. It makes me all happy. Apparently, you HP fanfic readers are a vocal bunch, and I totally appreciate it. _


	10. Prefection

_A/N: The title's not a typo, it's me being a punny smart-ass. Again, your feedback has been kind and gracious. Thank you so much!_

As per usual, Harry and Ron's room looked as though a small, recalcitrant hurricane had whipped through it. Hermione was sprawled across Harry on his bed. She had laid her head on his chest and was fidgeting slightly. Harry's chest rumbled under her in a chuckle.

"What's bothering you, love?" he asked. His voice was getting deeper, she noticed idly, storing the information away for later.

Hermione thought for a minute. Could she tell Harry about her relationship with Fred and George? Did she have the right to do so? Maybe not the bond, that was sort of heavy. Guess what Harry? I got married when I was five! That seemed the way of screaming and recriminations, and nobody could scream or make you feel guilty as hell quite like Harry Potter. She'd already had one round of that when he'd arrived and she wasn't quite ready for another. She sighed heavily.

"I'm in a relationship," she muttered to his chest. He looked at her. She could feel his green eyes piercing through her layers of protection.

"Who?" He asked cautiously.

"The twins," she muttered to his chest again. Refusing to look at him was a sort of subtle rebellion because Harry's eyes saw everything.

"Ah," he said, and there was a wealth of knowledge in that ah. He seemed to relax under her cheek.

"You're okay with that?" She asked curiously. Harry chuckled under her cheek again.

"Love, you've been in a relationship with the twins since first year," Harry said, amusement in his voice.

"No, Harry, I mean I'm dating them," Hermione said, irritation coloring her tone. Harry seemed surprised.

"What, the both of them?" He asked curiously.

"Well, yes," she said with a shrug. She echoed Ginny. "Which one of them would I leave out?"

"Huh," Harry said to himself. "I suppose that's true. Either George or Fred would be terribly hurt if you only dated the other. They are sort of a package deal, aren't they?"

"It's not common, but it is a normal thing to have happen in the wizarding world. I have a rather impressive volume on the history of different types of bonds by Bathilda Bagshot. Do you want to borrow it?" Hermione offered slyly.

"Er, no, that's fine," Harry said in a slightly panicky voice. "I'm sure it's a great book, but I'll take your word for it."

"I just…I wanted you to know. I don't know how open we'll end up being at school," Hermione said thoughtfully. Harry snorted.

"The twins have done everything but brand you on the forehead," Harry said dryly. "That's why Krum was the only one stupid enough to try and ask you to the Yule Ball. It shocked a lot of people when they went with Johnson and Bell. I believe the girls thought it would be funny to prank them."

"That might be part of it, but they've liked the twins for years," Hermione said with a small smile. She'd watched the girls try to flirt with Fred and George, and fail miserably, for years now.

"Hmm. You know, I think Dean Thomas was taking bets on whether or not Krum was going to live long enough to complete all the tasks. If looks could kill, he would have died several times over just at the Yule Ball." Harry teased her gently. Hermione smacked him on the chest. Then she stilled, and he knew her thoughts had taken a different track. "Hermione?"

"I was so worried about you," she confessed in a small voice. "Sirius was furious with Mundungus, they all were, but I thought they might actually let Sirius choke him to death."

"Who, the Order?" Harry asked in surprise. Hermione nodded against his chest.

"Yes. You have to remember who all belongs to it, Harry. All the Weasleys who are old enough: Arthur, Molly, Bill and Charlie. And of course there's Remus, Sirius, McGonagall and Dumbledore. There are others as well, but well they don't know you personally." Hermione said quietly. Harry put his arms around her briefly and gave her a tight hug. It felt comforting, safe, loving. She snuggled against him for a moment.

"I'm not sad about it at all. It meant I was able to come see Sirius and spend some time with him this summer. I missed him, you know?" Harry's voice was rough with emotion. Hermione sat up next to him and looked at him for a moment.

"I do," she said quietly. "He missed you, too. I tried to hug him, the way I would you, but I think I just made him nervous. Harry, you know that I care for you," Hermione said a little uncertainly. Harry paled and sat up.

"Uh, Hermione, I care about you, too, but…um…like a sister," he blurted out and flinched as though she were going to hex him. Hermione laughed at him.

"I know how you feel, Harry, trust me," she said dryly. His affection never bothered the bond, or made her ill. According to Bathilda Bagshot, their magic was mostly likely highly compatible, and most likely had meshed in the way of family. "I can prove it, even."

"Really?" He asked curiously. That would be interesting, a way to prove how people felt. She nodded at him.

"Wanna see?" She teased him. He found himself nodding back. She pulled out her wand.

"_Familia cordis exhibeo."_ She said clearly and distinctly. A subtle warm glow had settled around them. Harry could see _soror_ flash briefly every time he glanced at Hermione in the right way. She smiled at him.

"It says _frater_, every time I look at you." She said happily.

"What was that spell?" Harry asked curiously. Hermione looked pleased with herself.

"It shows your heart's family." She said with satisfaction. He smiled back at her.

"So it means you're my sister?" He said in surprise. Hermione shook her head.

"It means I'm the sister of your heart. There's a spell to make me your sister, but you'd have to make me a Potter." Hermione teased him with a smile. Her smile faltered at the happy expression on his face.

"That would be kind of cool," he said softly. Hermione blinked.

"Harry, it's a very serious spell. It would be a legally binding magical contract. It's not something you should take lightly." Hermione explained nervously. "It's not like the muggle world where you could claim that you're underage. If you can do the magic, and the magic forms the bond, you're done."

"Would it be so bad to be Hermione Potter?" He asked sadly. Hermione blinked.

"Well, no, of course not, Harry." She said softly. "It might cause some issues at Hogwarts. Can you imagine the backlash if I'm officially listed on everything as Hermione Potter? The first thing anyone would assume is that we're married. Heaven help you if the twins assume you're my husband before asking either of us."

"Er, that might not be good," he agreed faintly. He knew for a fact that Fred and George could be jealous and possessive, and if they thought he'd gone and married _their_ spitfire behind their back…well, his life would become exceedingly interesting to say the least. Hermione smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. Then she stood up.

"I promised Mrs. Weasley I'd help her in the kitchen," Hermione said with a fond smile for the older woman. "Why don't you go find Sirius? He's probably playing chess with Ron."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Oh, come on, spitfire, you know we were just having one over on ickle Ronniekins," Fred wheedled. The intense glare he received made him turn to George for support.

"We're actually very proud of you," George said quietly. "It's not our thing, mind you, but we know it's yours."

"You could have fooled me," she muttered, still refusing to look at either one of them. "You didn't say a single thing to me at the party your Mum threw for us."

"We were conducting a business transaction," Fred said weakly. "Harry was helping us."

"Hmph. He's not high on my list at the moment either," she said darkly.

"What's he done?" They asked in surprise. She shrugged.

"I think he's a bit miffed about the whole thing," she said finally with a sigh.

"Come here, spitfire," George said in a husky voice, and against her better judgment, she allowed him to pull her against his chest. Fred's strong hands were kneading the muscles in her back, and she allowed herself to relax.

When Fred kissed the back of her neck, she shivered, and she could feel his lips curving into a smile against her skin. Git. He pressed another kiss where her neck met her shoulder and she gasped. George kissed her lips then, teasing her with his tongue. She sighed into his mouth and he made a sort of moaning noise when she pressed against him. Fred, evil man that he was, had not stopped paying attention to the very sensitive skin on her back. He lightly raked his short nails up her spine while he nibbled on her neck. She pulled back from George slightly to arch her back and her eyes rolled back slightly. She shivered again, and Fred bit into the tender flesh of her shoulder. She gave a low, throaty moan that stopped both boys in their tracks. They looked at her with glazed eyes, and she felt a flare of lust so strong that she was glad she was sitting down. They all moved toward one another at the same time, but there was a knock at their door.

"Fred? George? Are you two in there?" Bill's deep voice came through the door. All three of them blinked and stared at one another, their eyes still slightly glazed.

"Er, yeah, Bill. What can we do for you?" Fred asked in a slightly thick voice.

"Are you okay?" Bill asked in surprise. He opened the door and stared at the three of them for a moment. The twins were sitting on the bed sort of curled around Hermione who was leaning against one of them for support. They all looked sort of flushed, and Hermione's bruised lips and the obvious bite mark on her shoulder made it quite clear what they had been up to. They stared back, and Hermione could feel her face burning. "Ah, er, well, um, Mum needs you two. Sorry."

"We'll be right down," George muttered with a distracted air, staring at Hermione. She shook her head at him slightly, and he sighed heavily. "Give us just a minute, Bill, yeah?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah," Bill muttered and went out into the hall. He left the door open, though, because he wasn't about to let them continue whatever it was they'd been up to. He flushed slightly. When the twins came out a minute later, looking a little flushed and their eyes still a bit glassy he strongly repressed a grin. "You guys are being careful, right?"

"Don't be an ass, Bill," One of them said with a glare. "We've been disgustingly careful. We've got the hour long cold showers to prove it."

"We should receive some sort of medal," the other muttered with a backward glance toward their room. Bill snorted.

"I doubt Mum will agree, especially if she sees that bite mark on Hermione's neck," he said dryly. One of the twins flushed, and Bill assumed it was the perpetrator. He grinned to himself. "Although, it might make for lively dinner conversation."

"Shut it, you," they told him darkly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Free reign in the Black family library allowed Hermione access to a variety of books that Hogwarts didn't have, or if it did they were most likely in the restricted section. She spent many happy hours sorting through dusty, ancient tomes until she found one that made her pause. _The Magic of Triads_ by Damocles Diggle seemed familiar somehow in its heavy weight. She hefted it for a moment and frowned as some sort of memory teased at the edge of her consciousness. She moved to a nearby chair and started leafing through it carefully. She was partway through the book when she turned to a specific page and stopped. Her fingers traced the manuscript decorations at the top and bottom of the page. She took off her bracelet and held her wrist against the page to make sure, even though she already knew. It matched. She put her bracelet back on and held the book up so that she could read the page carefully.

_The bonding of a triad is something that must be done with particular care, as the triad itself is a powerful force of magic in our world. The magic of a triad has been used as a focal catalyst for Great Works of a significant nature for centuries, but the bond itself must not be forged with only these Greater Works as its focus. If one wishes a True Bond, one must secure three witches or wizards or a mix thereof who are each the other's soul's mate. While twins are more prone to forming triads, this is not necessarily the case. It might be that three disparate souls belong one to the other. This spell is therefore not concerned so much with Great Works as with uniting witches and wizards with their soul's mates._

Hermione read through the information carefully, and what she found frightened her. Triads were incredibly powerful, able to perform magics most people couldn't attempt because they were able to support and lend focus to one another. As a result, they were sought after and manipulated by dark wizards on a regular basis. It was one of the reasons that they were so rare. Gideon and Fabian's deaths took on a terrifying significance. Their third was dead, she knew that by reading into what Remus and Sirius had said. Had Gideon and Fabian died protecting her? The spell the boys had performed, that she had performed as well because it clearly said that all three participants must say the spell together, was innocuous by itself. However, if others discovered them—what they were to one another—Voldemort would most likely want them quite badly. Hermione had just realized a very strong personal reason for wanting He-who-must-not-be-named gone forever. She was shaking with fear, her face pale and her eyes staring.

"Hermione?" Remus could smell her sudden fear. She looked at him, terrified and her shaking grew worse. Fred and George apparated into the library and, ignoring everyone, went to her with concern. Fred looked at the book in her lap and was surprised.

"Hey! You found it!" He said cheerfully, but his smile dropped when he saw her face.

"What's wrong, spitfire?" George asked urgently.

"You, we," she whispered, her eyes staring at something she couldn't see.

"We what? What's wrong?" Fred asked, kneeling by her side.

"He killed them," she whispered. "If he finds out, he'll kill us, too."

"What are you talking about, Hermione," Remus asked with a frown. Hermione jerked suddenly as if she had forgotten that he was there. She looked from him to Sirius and then to Fred and George.

"Nothing," Hermione said in a strained voice. Remus could smell her fear, but he could sense that she was trying to throttle it down, make it harder to sense.

"You know Hermione, it's impossible for an amateur like you to lie to the four of us," Sirius said with a smirk. Fred and George smirked slightly at that as well.

"Fine. Everything is wrong and I'm going to die, probably a horribly painful, gruesome death," Hermione said flatly. Fred and George blanched.

"That's not funny, spitfire," George said hoarsely. She frowned at him.

"We need to talk," she said in that same, flat voice. Fred and George frowned at her and then at one another.

"Fine. Let's go upstairs," they muttered and led her from the room.

"Trouble in paradise?" Sirius asked Remus after the three teenagers filed out of the room. Remus shook his head.

"No, she was terrified. Something's bothering her, and she wants to talk to them about it, but she doesn't want us listening in," Remus said thoughtfully, wishing she hadn't taken the book with her. He would like to know what had upset her so much.

Fred and George sat on George's bed and eyed her warily as she paced back and forth in front of them. She was muttering under her breath and wringing her hands. They could feel the fear that still dogged her, and the bond pulled them toward her, but they stayed on the bed.

"Spitfire, what is going on?" They asked finally.

"We are in huge trouble," she said finally, stopping and staring at them. She explained everything that she'd read, and what she'd gleaned from reading between the lines. She even mentioned her suspicions regarding their late uncles.

"They took out five death eaters before they went down," she said earnestly. "I'm sure they were brilliant fighters, and I'm sure they were fighting for their lives, but that kind of tenacity hints at them protecting something."

"Her," they said softly, staring at Hermione, understanding dawning in those warm chocolate eyes. They glanced at one another uneasily. They knew they'd lay down their lives gratefully if it meant their spitfire would be safe.

"They were killed for their potential. They hadn't even formed the bond yet. We have, so we're going to be in even more danger—if they find out," Hermione said fretfully.

"I bet," Fred said thoughtfully, "I bet they wanted to do the Greater Battle Magics. No one can do those anymore, there's no one strong enough, and it usually required a bonded group to support the wielder. That's why they waited for her. They wanted her to fully consent, understanding everything they were asking her to do. Wow."

"_I_ would bet that the Order suggested it. The first war…it was going really badly, spitfire. That's one of the reasons everyone treats Harry the way they do. He saved us all. After their potential triad was wiped out, they must have been devastated. They didn't have the dark creatures that You-know-who commanded, they were really vulnerable." George said slowly.

"Greater Battle Magic? How do you guys know about this stuff? No, don't tell me, it's because you're pureblood," Hermione groused. Fred and George shrugged.

"Sorry, spitfire. We're just culturally advantaged?" Fred offered with a shrug. She wrinkled her nose at him.

"I don't think that's even a word," she said.

"Look, no one knows, right?" George said. Hermione thought guiltily about Ginny, but Ginny would never do anything that would risk her brothers.

"I think your Mum suspects," she whispered. Fred and George discounted that immediately.

"She sees the potential. She doesn't realize the bond is already there," Fred said firmly.

"I suppose," Hermione said quietly. "But—"

"No buts, Hermione," George said just as firmly. "You're safe, we're not going to let anything happen to you, and that's that."

They got off the bed at that point and pulled her down with them. They held her until the fear ebbed and their bond stopped tugging. She sighed and leaned against Fred. She reached out for George's hand and he threaded his fingers through hers.

"It'll be fine," Fred whispered, kissing the top of her head.


	11. The Best Defense

_A/N: Now, before any hate mail can commence—let me explain myself. In OotP, Fred and George experimented on first years. Hermione was horribly upset, and even threatened to go to their Mum about it—proving how serious she was, and how bad she though their actions were. So to avoid the issue, they sneak first years around the castle and experiment on them in unused classrooms. (Most likely because anyone who's been there for a year is far too cynical to trust Fred and George Weasley.) Now, if Hermione had found out they were sneaking first years around to experiment on them, she would have been very, very angry. But imagine how much more angry, and hurt, she would be if she was their girlfriend, and she thought her trust had been betrayed. See? So, just think about that before we feel all sad for Fred and George and write unpleasant things to me._

"But, spitfire-," Fred said soothingly.

"First years?" Hermione shrieked at him. "I can't believe that you, that both of you! Experimenting! On first years!"

"It's completely safe, Hermione," Lee Jordan tried to interject, but Hermione whirled on him and glared at him so viciously that he took a step back. She turned back to her boyfriends and the air between them seemed to crackle with energy. One could almost smell the ozone of lightning. In fact, later on Lee Jordan would swear that lightning was crackling in the air near Hermione.

"But,-" George tried, and Hermione growled at him.

"You promised me," she hissed at them. "You said you wouldn't use this stuff on first years anymore."

"Er, well, we actually said we wouldn't do any more experiments on first years in the Gryffindor common room," Fred corrected her.

"You, the both of you," she said in hoarse voice. Then her face fell, and she shook her head. "I have never been so disappointed."

When she ran out of the unused classroom she'd found them in, she didn't see the stricken looks on Fred and George's faces. She was too busy hurrying back to the Gryffindor tower and safety. She didn't want them to catch her, or try to talk to her. She didn't want to see them at all. A muffled sob escaped her and she shook her head as she ran.

This time, she didn't avoid them, she didn't refuse to speak to them, but she made it very clear how she felt. She sat between Harry and Ron, and when the twins directly addressed her she was coolly polite in her responses. She didn't speak to them at all when she wasn't directly addressed, even when they said provocative things on purpose to force her to talk to them. The twins started to mope, and look at Hermione across the table longingly, but she was so upset that she ignored them. It might have continued that way indefinitely until it started to affect their Quidditch game.

"Oi! Granger!" Angelina Johnson hollered in the Great Hall as Hermione was leaving with Harry and Ron.

"Angelina," Hermione said stiffly.

"Look, you need to make up with Fred and George and you need to do it now," Angelina insisted, her face red and angry. Harry and Ron started slightly and each of them took a step away from their friend.

"Er, look, Angelina," Harry began nervously. "I really don't think that-"

"Are you telling me, Potter, that you think they're playing well?" Angelina demanded in disbelief.

"Er, no, I wasn't saying anything about that," Harry muttered, admitting to himself that the twins' game was definitely off. Hermione got the oddest look on her face. She was pale and deadly calm.

"Are you telling me that you want me to forgive Fred and George, so that your team will do well at Quidditch?" Hermione asked in a low, calm voice. Harry and Ron took another step away from Hermione and glanced about for something to hide behind.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you," Angelina's voice was strident and angry.

"I see," Hermione said icily. "Do you have a boyfriend, Johnson?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything," Angelina snapped. Hermione gave her a tight smile.

"Fine, a girlfriend then?" She continued in that same icy voice. Angelina snorted.

"No," the Quidditch captain snapped.

"Pity," Hermione said coolly giving the impression that she wasn't surprised. "Despite your fantastical ravings, I have absolutely no control over Fred or George's Quidditch game. For that to happen, they'd actually have to care about me."

Hermione spun on her heel and marched out of the Great Hall, refusing to look at anyone. Fred and George, as well as the rest of the Great Hall, had heard every word between the two girls because the hall had fallen silent when Johnson accosted Hermione. The misery on Fred and George's faces made even the Slytherin table feel sort of sorry for them. Angelina looked like she'd just taken a bludger to the head. She blinked and then looked at Harry.

"She can't be serious, can she, Harry?" Angelina sounded stunned. Harry felt his ears turn pink as everyone now turned to him.

"Er…she's just upset right now," Harry muttered. Angelina scoffed.

"She's been upset for _two weeks_," Angelina said darkly. Harry shrugged.

"I know," he muttered.

"Well, fix it, Potter!" Angelina demanded. Harry scowled at her.

"Right, I'll just do that," he snarled at her. He also stalked out of the Great Hall, and went to look for Hermione. She was in the library, hiding in a corner. He sat down next to her and sighed.

"Do the bond with me now?" He asked half-heartedly. Hermione blinked at him, and then gave him a half-smile.

"Not while that hideous woman is here," she whispered out of the side of her mouth. "The ministry could cause problems."

"This summer then?" He teased her. She gave him another half-smile.

"Of course, Harry. I'd like that," she said softly. "Might have to explain it to my parents though. They see all the letters I get, you know. I hope it won't offend my parents. You don't think it would offend them, do you?"

"Nah," he said with a wave of his hand. "Tell 'em, it's some sort of special magic world thingie that will make your life easier. Potter is an old name. It might help you someday."

"I wouldn't do it just for that," Hermione said with an indignant snort. "I'd do it to show you I love you and that we _are_ family, even if we're not blood-related."

"Aw, you say the sweetest things when you're hiding in the library and refusing to deal with your boyfriends," Harry said slyly. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"They lied to me, Harry," Hermione said flatly.

"Well, they didn't technically lie," he said firmly. She just looked at him.

"They knew exactly what I was asking, what I wanted. They knew it and they ignored it," Hermione said in that same, flat voice. Harry sighed heavily.

"Unfortunately, you're right. Now, why are you in the library? OWLs homework?" Harry asked cheerfully. Hermione went a bit pale.

"No," she said quickly. "I'm, um, I'm researching elf rights for, um, S.P.E.W."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Oh, yes. I'm just learning loads," she said faintly. Harry tried to glance at an open book, but Hermione practically flung herself over the pages.

"Right, then. I guess I'll leave you to it," he said slowly, frowning slightly. Hermione nodded eagerly.

"Okay, see you later?" She asked. He nodded.

As soon as Harry was gone, she bent over the open book on the table, _The Greater Battle Magics and their Use in the Goblin Rebellion of 1612_ by Cicero Marchbanks. Her face became drawn and pale as she read about the quad who fought during the Goblin Rebellion. It had consisted of two men and two women, and Acacius Peverell was listed as its focus. Hermione read the information listed very carefully. Cicero Marchbanks, she noted with asperity, was obviously not writing for future triads or quads. He didn't give her any of the information she desperately wanted, and seemed determined to give her ridiculous information that did nothing for her. She frowned darkly at the book in front of her. None of that helped in the end though. The goblins killed the women, Clytemnestra Gaunt and Medea Black, outright, and then a powerful magical assault killed both Acacius and his bonded Leontius Burke. Hermione swallowed painfully. Maybe she could forgive the twins. Especially if she'd most likely be killed as soon as someone figured out what three small children had accidentally done.

Walking back to Gryffindor tower seemed to take forever, and she felt as though she were walking toward her execution. She could feel the misery pouring through the bond. The unhappiness and sadness had been eating at her for two weeks, but she'd ignored it because she'd been so hurt. It was much worse than normal at the moment because they'd heard what Angelina had said, and how she had replied. She might allow that the twins had suffered enough. However, they'd better never pull anything like this ever again, or she would find a way to break the damn bond. She sent a fierce was of determination down the bond, and felt a hint of satisfaction at the general uneasiness that echoed back to her.

She sailed into the common room, and started marching up the boys' stairs. Students stared at her open-mouthed as she continued up to the seventh-year dorms. Fred and George were sitting miserably on one of their beds, close enough to touch. She knew that sometimes they felt an intense need to be close to one another, to touch one another, especially when they were upset, scared or sad. It was some sort of reassurance that only touch could afford them, and she highly doubted they felt like holding hands in the middle of the common room. She sighed, and they both looked up at her, startled.

"What are you doing up here?" Fred asked in surprise. She shook her head.

"I came to see you," she said quietly.

"But, you're mad at us," George reminded her. Hermione's lips tightened.

"Just let's get one thing quite clear," she snapped. "I am _not_ here because of Angelina Johnson. And I'm not here because she sent Harry after me."

"Oh, did she do that?" Fred asked, his eyes wide. Hermione paced in front of them.

"I'm here because I was reading…something…and I decided that maybe it was time we moved on from your unfortunate choices," Hermione said disjointedly. Fred and George frowned at her slightly.

"Come again?" George asked uncertainly. She sighed.

"I don't want to be mad at you anymore," she said finally. Fred and George relaxed slightly.

"You don't?" They asked hopefully. She shook her head. Happiness, intense joy, shot through the bond. Fred and George pulled her down onto the bed with them.

"So, why aren't you mad anymore?" George asked as her pressed his face into her neck.

"I was never mad. I was incredibly disappointed," she said quietly. She felt guilt coming from both of them, and Fred's eyes looked sad again.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"It's simple," Hermione said with quiet bitterness. "We don't have a lot of time. We don't know how much. A month? A year? Hell, Umbridge is doing her best to make sure that we'll all be big, fat targets. They'll slaughter us, and we'll never have a chance."

Hermione laughed unpleasantly.

"Bloody hell, if she thought we were going to fight for Dumbledore, she'd probably kill me in the middle of class all by herself," she said. Fred and George growled, and their arms around her tightened. She choked on a sob. "Hold me? Just…hold me."

They laid on the bed and held Hermione between them, stroking her hair and pressing butterfly-light kisses to her cheeks and her shoulders. When Lee came in, one eyebrow rose in surprise, but he didn't say anything. The three of them were just lying there, not saying anything. They looked very serious, and Lee figured he didn't need to be in the middle of whatever was going on between them. Fred and George didn't want to let her go, and for several days after they kept touching her, stroking her hair, as if they couldn't quite believe she was still there. Hermione sighed heavily and dragged them both to a secret passageway. When they emerged almost an hour later, the boys seemed much more relaxed and less emotionally needy. Most likely because when they were all that close together the bond would flare wide open and that always reassured them. Once Hermione acquired the ability to think coherently, she wondered how consummating the bond would affect things.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The first meeting to discuss the proposed Defense Against the Dark Arts group in the Hogs Head made Hermione want to kiss Fred and George full on in front of everyone. They were brilliant! They were truly the best of boys. She fought not to smile in a besotted fashion at Fred and George when they threatened Zacharias Smith. Then, they were the first ones to sign the contract. She danced all the way back to Hogwarts, only to bump into the two people she wanted most to see. She dragged them into a hidden alcove and proceeded to kiss them both into oblivion.

"Not that we're not fully appreciative-"

"-but why exactly are you attacking us?"

"If this is what happens every time we threaten-"

"-bodily harm, then we ought to do it often."

"Don't be silly," she told them both with a smile. "Oh! George, that's going to leave a mark."

"I know," he murmured into her neck. Hermione giggled as he nuzzled her ear.

"Fine," she said mildly. Then she gave them matching bite marks on the juncture of their neck and shoulder. They shuddered and gave low moans that made her belly squirm and tighten pleasantly. "There. Now that you're marked as _mine_, are you happy?"

"Yes," The said looking entirely too pleased with themselves. Ron and Harry saw her later that evening and looked slightly disgusted.

"You know in the changing rooms we shower together, right?" Ron demanded. "The last thing I really want to see is the bite marks you've left all over _both_ of my brothers."

"What's the most disturbing is knowing that you're the one that did it," Harry said. "I wouldn't care if it were any other people, but it's _you_."

"Sorry," she said blushing, but Ron and Harry decided that she wasn't sorry at all. "Besides, it's not _all over_. They each have just one. For Merlin's sake you make it sound like I tried to eat them, or something."

Ron and Harry looked even more disturbed and they both flushed.

"Oh, honestly!" Hermione said indignantly. She flounced off toward the girls' dormitory.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Another day spent studying in the library. Ginny came in at one point and frowned at some of the titles Hermione was flipping through anxiously.

"Hermione," she said slowly, fingering one mouldering tome that looked as though it might fall apart at any moment. "What are you reading about, er, battle magic for?"

"Well, that's what they use triads for," Hermione whispered. "They're strong, Ginny, powerful. Triads can wield the Greater Battle Magics, and they have. I'm researching it."

"Why?" Ginny asked in surprise.

"Because I think that's what your uncles Gideon and Fabian were going to try and do, and I think Voldemort found out and killed them," Hermione said succinctly. Ginny's eyes grew huge and her mouth fell open.

"But, you're not going to, are you?" Ginny asked nervously. Hermione sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm not sure what help we'd be. Also, I'm not sure how that part works exactly. Your uncles weren't actually part of a triad, they just had the potential to be one, and they were murdered for it. I think," Hermione whispered, glancing around nervously.

"Is this why you've been so keen for the DADA group?" Ginny asked. Hermione bit her lip.

"I'd like to pass my OWLs," she said cautiously. "But, yes, living has a certain charm to it."

"Do Fred and George know?" Ginny asked suddenly. Hermione frowned.

"That we could be murdered the second Voldemort finds out we exist? Yeah, they know," Hermione muttered.

"But, your bond isn't even consummated yet," Ginny protested. Hermione frowned.

"Gideon and Fabian were only potentials, and they're just as dead. How does consummation affect the bond?" Hermione demanded.

"I—I don't know," Ginny confessed. "I just remember Aunt Muriel and her cronies talking about triads once and stressing consummation. They argued for hours. OH!"

"Shh!" Madame Pince glared at them and both girls gave her guilty looks.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble?" Hermione hissed. Ginny shook her head.

"No, it's just I remembered something. I think they were talking about them, my uncles. Aunt Muriel kept saying something about 'if they'd only bonded', but one of the others…oh, Griselda Marchbanks, I think, she said 'it wouldn't have mattered if they hadn't consummated it'. Isn't that odd? I mean, I never realized who that conversation was about, but I guess I should have realized because Mum left and came and checked on us right then." Ginny whispered as quietly as possible.

"Well, bloody hell," Hermione muttered. "Now I have research a completely different part of this whole mess."

"Maybe I can help a bit?" Ginny asked with a smile. Hermione nodded.

"Okay then, see if you can find anything out about triad bonds and consummation of bonds and how that affects everything else. Just remember, you can't tell anyone about this. If someone here guesses, and that somebody says the wrong thing to the wrong person—the twins will be killed, Ginny." Ginny nodded and then took off into the stacks, searching.


	12. Taking Control and Changing the Odds

_A/N: So this is after Mr. Weasley is attacked by 'a great, dirty snake', and the Weasley children & Harry have all been taken to number 12 Grimmauld Place for safety & proximity to St. Mungo's. _

_In a side note, I'm all for sexy fun-time, but fan fiction dot net seems be almost pathologically against it. (You don't suppose Umbridge is in charge of the ratings at fanfiction, do you?) How do I address the question of "to sex or not to sex" as an author? :sigh: Maybe we'll just risk it. Are we Gryffindors or not? Oh, wait…_

Hermione woke up feeling slightly off, and she couldn't figure out why. She stared at the ceiling of her canopy for several long minutes trying to puzzle it out. What was wrong? She sat up suddenly gasping for air, her eyes wide and staring. _She couldn't feel them_. She jumped out of the bed, still wearing shorts and a tank top and sprinted down the girls' stair and up the boys' stair. She burst into the seventh year dorm while Lee Jordan was in the middle of pulling his shirt on. He blinked at Hermione.

"Er, hello there, Hermione," he said uncertainly. Hermione was staring at their beds.

"Where are they?" She asked forlornly. Lee glanced toward Fred and George's empty beds. He shrugged.

"Dunno. They were gone when I got up." He said gently. "Look, are you okay? D'you want me to get McGonagall?"

She crumpled to the ground at his feet, her mind rapidly tracing the bond. It felt like it was stretched thin. Like it did during the summer when they were away from each other. So…they weren't here? They weren't at Hogwarts? Panic flooded Hermione. They were like distant fuzzy dots to her. She could just barely make them out. She didn't realize she was sobbing until she felt Professor McGonagall bending over her and looking at her with a surprisingly gentle eye.

"Come on, Granger, let's get you back where you belong," she said firmly.

Hermione followed Professor McGonagall numbly back to her dorm. She got dressed and slipped to the owlery.

_Where are you?_

She stared at it for a minute. She couldn't write anything else. She'd start crying. She coerced a haughty owl down and tied the message to its leg.

"Wait for a message. Feel free to peck the bastards as much as you want," She told the owl angrily, it gave her a look and she would swear that it nodded at her.

She sat with Luna at the Ravenclaw table because she couldn't bear to sit where _they_ should be. She sat there chewing her lower lip and listening with half an ear to Luna's ramblings about Heliopath armies being undone by infestations of wrackspurts.

"It would serve Fudge right," Hermione muttered darkly, wondering if one could train wrackspurts to attack.

"Indeed," Luna replied dreamily and then took a breath, which Hermione assumed could only be to begin a long discussion on the merits of crumpled snorks or whatever it was she usually went on about. Hermione sighed and mentally braced herself for the worst.

When the owl returned, the message was disturbingly brief, but by that point the school grapevine had it that Mr. Weasley was deathly ill and that the Weasley children had been pulled out to go see their dad. Harry was gone too, though, and Hermione felt a little jealous that he was able to go and she was not. The end of the term couldn't get there fast enough for Hermione now. She couldn't wait. Her anxiety ratcheted up a notch every day. This was unbearable.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The doorbell rang, and just as Sirius went to answer it, he was brutally knocked out of the way, and the door was flung open. Hermione Granger flew in the door and was grabbed immediately by Fred and George who quickly shut the door and dragged her up the stairs with them.

"Are you all right there, Sirius," his cousin Tonks asked curiously. He groaned slightly from the floor and she held out a hand to help him up.

As soon as Fred and George's door shut, they were all over one another. The desire, the need to touch one another was almost overwhelming. The twins had divested her of her coat and her jumper, and pulled her back to them. She had frantically pulled their jumpers, and the button down oxfords underneath off of them in a desperate need to touch their skin. She ran her hands over their skin, tracing the lines of their muscles and they shuddered under her touch. Fred kissed her, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her against the hard wall of his chest, and she shivered in his arms. Her skin was tingling and she could feel something building inside her. George moved behind her, and was pressing kisses along her shoulder when their door opened.

"Hey, Tonks said that Hermione…Oh, for crying out loud!" Ron slammed the door again, and stomped off. Hermione pulled away from Fred's lips for a moment.

"Is your Mum going to come up here?" She asked nervously. He frowned for a minute, trying to think and then gave up and shrugged.

"'S possible." Then he tried to kiss her again, but she dodged him.

"That would interrupt us, again," Hermione pointed out. Fred frowned at her.

"We could ward the room," George offered between nibbles on her neck.

"Mmm, that's nice. Yes, but, oh, your Mum wouldn't like that," Hermione managed to get out. Both boys sighed heavily and moved away from her. She kissed them both on the cheek and gave them a look that promised _later_.

When Molly made it upstairs a few minutes later followed by an irate Ron, Hermione was sitting demurely in his room with Harry and Ginny talking about school. She smiled brightly at Ron and Mrs. Weasley who turned to give Ron a dirty look before heading back downstairs after she gave Hermione a welcoming hug.

"Disgusting display!" Ron groused darkly, glaring at Hermione. "They were all half naked and…"

"Ron. Shut up," Harry said firmly. Hermione smiled sweetly at him. Ginny snickered behind her hand.

"Well I like that," he huffed angrily and stomped out of his room.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Okay, so my research shows that the potential triad is the most vulnerable because they aren't able to sense or support one another. The bonded triad is slightly less vulnerable because they can at least sense one another, if somewhat dimly. The fully bonded, that means consummated in case you were wondering, are the safest because they can sense one another, support one another and defend one another," Ginny said that night as they went over what she'd been able to find out. "I also found out that no one in the last five hundred or so years would ever take a group of kids and bond them like you guys did because it leaves you too vulnerable. They would try to protect you until you were old enough to accept the bond and consummate it."

"So…wait, what are you trying to say?" Hermione asked with a slight frown as she sucked on a sugar quill.

"I can't believe I'm even saying this to you. This goes down as the creepiest conversation, ever. You need to shag my brothers. Now, preferably." Ginny said in a pained voice. Hermione started choking on the sugar quill. Ginny jumped up and pounded her on the back.

"You want me to _what_?" Hermione gasped out. Ginny looked even more pained.

"I'm not repeating it. You heard me. To be safe, you guys need to…well…yeah." Ginny said slowly. "The really horrifying part, for me anyway, is that I can actually cite sources for you, if you want."

"No, I believe you. If you were going to prank me, I can safely say that this would not be in your top five for go-to pranking," Hermione said quietly, her face sort of blank.

"But, wait, it gets worse," Ginny said in that same pained voice. "Apparently, your bond, which we know is going to be very strong, the er…well…it will release a LOT of magical energy. There may be a sort of magical backlash, or something. They weren't too specific on that point. Anyway, er, ward the room, whatever room, really heavily."

"Right," Hermione said with a nod. She stared at Ginny.

"So?" Ginny asked with a touch of annoyance.

"What?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Go, go now. I wonder if Sirius will let me have a shot of firewhiskey?" Ginny mumbled to herself.

"What, now?" Hermione said blankly. Ginny growled at her.

"You don't want my brothers to be murdered, right? I thought that was the whole point of all the research. You don't want to die, right?" Ginny demanded.

"Well, no, but, er, Ginny," Hermione fumbled for the right words and couldn't find any.

"You know, people rave on about how blindingly brilliant you are," Ginny began scathingly and Hermione threw up her hands in defeat.

"Fine! Fine! I'm off to shag your brothers!" Hermione snapped and whipped open the door. She poked her head out into the hall and glanced back at Ginny who frowned at her and made a shooing motion. Hermione took a deep breath and snuck down the hall.

**Warning: If you chose to read this story with an "M" rating, under the mistaken impression that that meant "mom approved", you were wrong. Stop reading immediately. From here on in, I make no promises. You were warned, etc. **

Hermione opened the door to the twins' room and slid in. They turned to look at her in surprise. She smiled weakly at them, and began casting silencing charms, and warding the room. She had a feeling they might yell, or argue with her, and the last thing she wanted was somebody coming along to find out why they were yelling at her at midnight. They frowned slightly.

"Er, Spitfire, what are you doing?" Fred asked finally. She smiled weakly at him.

"Warding the room so everyone in the house won't be able to hear you yell at me," Hermione said.

"Why, exactly, are we yelling at you?" George asked. Hermione took a deep breath.

"We have to consummate the bond as soon as possible. Now. Tonight," she said in a rush. They stared at her.

"You mean—" Fred couldn't finish that sentence, but the twins' ears turned red.

"Hermione," George said in a low, husky voice. "You can't just—"

"No," Fred agreed. "It's not really fair, you know."

"I am not joking, that's your job," she said flatly.

"You seriously want us to…now?" George looked dazed.

"Yes." She said simply.

"But why?" They asked.

"Well, would you believe me if I told you that I can't resist your sexy bodies anymore?" Hermione asked. They glared at her. "Right. Well, it will complete the bond. Right now, the bond is a partial thing…it's unfinished. If we…er…complete the bond, it will offer us protection."

"So we have to shag to live?" Fred demanded. "I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in my whole life."

"I can get you the books to prove it," she said hotly. "And it's not shagging to live, you prat, it's completing the bond so that we can protect one another."

"So, wait," George still looked slightly dazed. "Now? As in, right now?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "Please?"

"This has got to be one of the weirdest things to ever happen to a guy," Fred muttered under his breath. Hermione frowned at him.

"You're better at transfiguration than I am. Can you pick a bed and make it bigger?" Hermione asked. The twins pushed both beds together and Fred waved his wand, muttering under his breath.

"There," he said tersely. Hermione frowned at the twins.

"I'm not sure I even want to know how you know that spell," she said darkly.

"Mostly from relatives visiting. Mum was forever redoing the beds to make sure there was enough room for everyone," George offered. Hermione sniffed.

"Right," she said determinedly, and began to pull off her shoes.

"What are you doing?" Fred demanded. Hermione just looked at him.

"I'm going to get naked," she said firmly. "Then I'm going to get into that bed, and you two are going to get naked and join me. Then we're going to have mind-blowing sex that might or might not level the house."

"_Really_?"

"Well, it was sort of vague on that point, but yeah." Hermione said with a frown. Both boys stared at her.

She sighed in frustration and blindly grabbed a twin, it was George, and kissed him. He began to kiss her back, cupping her face, and sliding his hands into her hair to cradle her head. His tongue stroked hers, teased her, taunted her, and she moaned into his mouth. Fred was nibbling on her ear and she shivered against him. George pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"Are you sure, love?" He asked softly and she nodded.

It was the same way it always was, with them. Fred and George could feel their skin tingling everywhere she touched them, and her skin tingled as well. There was the feeling from before, like something was building, but now she knew it was magical pressure. The bond had linked them, but now it was becoming complete. From this point forward, their magic would flow between them unhindered. The thought of it excited Hermione and she kissed Fred passionately. Their clothes had vanished, and Hermione could care less, she was too busy reveling in the feel of their hands on her skin, the electric crackle of their energy trying to mesh completely with hers.

Lips moved across skin, nipping, and licking and biting. Fingers trailed lightly, held firmly, and occasionally dug into skin. Hermione licked an expanse of pale, freckled belly and smiled against the skin when she heard a low guttural moan of pleasure. She felt someone's, Fred's, hand tug her hair and she moved up to kiss his chin.

"What about…the hurting?" Fred asked her quietly, his brown eyes worried. Hermione smiled at him and kissed him again.

"There's a charm for that," she said softly. _Please don't ask where I learned it, you'll never be able to look Ginny in the eye again_.

"Oh."

Thank Merlin, they were twins, and had their own almost silent way of communicating. It meant that Hermione didn't have to worry about who was going to do what, where because they figured all of that out between them. Still, she wasn't surprised to find George easing between her thighs and looking slightly nervous. He was the more controlled twin, he usually reined Fred in from more spectacular mistakes. They must have decided that he would be more careful, more restrained. She hid a smile, and pulled George down for a reassuring kiss. Fred was pressed against her side, stroking her hair and nuzzling her neck and whispering how beautiful, how perfect she was into her ears. She could feel that pressure building, pressing in on them and she realized something. She sat up sharply and George moved as though she'd burned him.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a worried voice.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she kissed his cheek. "Erm, this is going to sound…odd, oh, wait. Here."

She grabbed a book from a pile near them, the one on triad magic and she opened to a specific page that hadn't really made sense until now. She pointed to it and let them read it. They read it and then looked at one another. Then they turned to look at her.

"Erm…that charm," Fred said uncertainly. Hermione pursed her lips, and then nodded.

"It should work for that, too," she said with a smile for his quick thinking.

"All right, then," George said quietly.

"Right," Hermione agreed.

They knelt in the middle of the bed together, George moving behind Hermione, stroking the delicate skin of her back so that she would shudder and moan softly. Fred knelt in front of her breasts and teased them mercilessly with his tongue. He very gently nipped her, and her encouraging sigh made him nip just a bit harder. Her fingers threaded through his silky hair and held him in place. They touched and caressed one another until they could feel the delicious building of pressure again, and this time Fred and George understood what they were supposed to do. Fred leaned back against the pillows, sort of half sitting up, and Hermione moved to straddle him. She cast her charms wandlessly and nonverbally, and Fred's eyebrows rose in appreciation of her talent. Lightning seemed to crackle over her skin, it was as though their magic knew that it was time. She put her hands on Fred's shoulders and he put his hands on her hips to steady her. Slowly, carefully, she impaled herself on him. Her breath hissed out between her lips. It didn't hurt, but she felt very…full. She wriggled a little to get comfortable and Fred's face tightened slightly. George moved behind her, his hands just above Fred's. He moved carefully, gently, almost delicately. She held herself very, very still. It didn't hurt, but now she felt almost too full. She could feel the energy crackling around all three of them. Her skin felt almost too tight. She turned slightly so that George could give her a searing kiss and then Fred leaned forward to kiss her as well. When they started to move together, the world fell away until it was just the three of them, and their bed contained the whole universe. She could feel that which she always knew to be "Fred" and that which was always "George" start to blur into her, and she could feel herself blurring and blending into them. They were being bound one to the other with bonds of magic and of love. They moved together in a pattern dictated by the magic that connected them, and it grew larger and larger, building until all three of them found their release together and in each other, and the release of their magic was like a wave of power that went out from them. It might have shaken the house, if Hermione hadn't already cast every single charm she could think of to stop that from happening.

"Wow," George said softly as they laid together in a tangle of limbs. Hermione experimentally sent love and reassurance down the bond, and felt it race back from the both of them. It felt much, much more powerful.

"I wonder if I'll be able to feel you when you leave now," Hermione wondered aloud.

"When we leave?" Fred sounded offended.

"You graduate this year, you silly man. I'll be alone at Hogwarts next year," Hermoine said softly. George grunted and pulled her close.

"I wonder if we could practice," Fred mused thoughtfully as he absently stroked Hermione's hip. She blinked at him.

"We'd have to be very careful," she said uncertainly. Fred grinned at her.

"Not that, spitfire. I meant the magic," he explained. She grinned.

"That should be easy." She replied. She moved to sit up and they held her close.

"I probably should go back to my room. What if someone comes in in the morning?" Hermione pointed out reasonably.

"Stay just a little while?" They wheedled with big brown eyes. She sighed.

"A little while," she murmured and they hugged her tightly.

The next morning, the charms had worn off and Hermione was a little stiff on her way down the stairs. She sat down to breakfast next to Ginny and when her Daily Prophet came, she paid for it as per usual. Mr. Weasley was busy reading his already. Hermione unfolded the paper and started choking on her toast.

_**Low Grade Earthquake Disturbs Slumber of London Residents, Ministry Concerned that it maybe Magic Related**_

Ginny read over her shoulder and started choking on her toast as well. Harry and Ron started pounding on their backs.

"You know, I didn't feel an earthquake last night," Mr. Weasley muttered to himself. He glanced over at his wife. "Molly, did you feel anything last night?"

"No, dear," Molly said soothingly, and passed him a cup of tea. Hermione felt her face go up in flames.

"An _earthquake_?" Ginny hissed in her ear. "Do you know how disturbing that is?"

"Sorry?" Hermione mouthed at her. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You don't suppose it's You-know-who, Dad?" Bill asked gravely. Hermione looked at Ginny and bit her lip desperately. Ginny looked like she was going to die. They both jumped up from the table.

"Girls! You haven't eaten anything," Molly scolded as both girls fled the kitchen.

"'S okay, Mum, I'll eat it," Ron said through a mouth full of food. The girls shoved their plates toward him and ran for the safety of the library and collapsed on the couch laughing.

"Oh Circe," Ginny gasped, holding her sides.

"I'll never be able to face your parents ever again," Hermione moaned into her hands.

"You know, they're going to be completely insufferable," Ginny huffed in annoyance.

"Who's insufferable?" Sirius asked curiously as he walked into the library.

"No one," Hermione said with a shrug. Just then Fred and George bounded into the library with disgustingly smug smiles. She spied a copy of the Daily Prophet in their hands.

"Did you see, spitfire?"

"An earthquake, it says."

"Rocked everyone's world last night."

"Woke people up all over the City."

"Bill reckons it was You-know-who," Ginny said with a straight face. Hermione nodded seriously. Fred and George looked offended at the suggestion.

"I suppose it's possible. What do you think, Sirius?" She said in a calm voice. He took the Daily Prophet from the twins and scanned the article, his eyebrows rising.

"I didn't feel anything last night," he muttered under his breath, frowning.

"Dad says he didn't either," Ginny offered blandly. Fred and George turned accusing eyes to Hermione who smiled tightly at them.

"Well, how rude!"

"Take a man's fun and just shut it down!"

The twins grumbled toward the kitchen in search of breakfast. Hermione glared darkly at Ginny who grinned back at her.


	13. Mysteries and Unfortunate Truths

_A/N: Okay, we're going to move through the rest of OotP rather quickly. Hopefully it won't end up too disjointed or choppy. _

"Okay, so concentrate on pushing your magic _through the bond_," Hermione said through gritted teeth.

"Look I already apologized," Fred snapped. George sent waves of calm at both of them and they both snarled at him.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "I'm taking a break."

Fred took a deep sigh and shook himself all over. This was almost worse than Quidditch practice for working a bloke over. He'd already taken off his shirt because he'd sweated through it. Hermione was wearing a sports bra and indecently short shorts that made it difficult for him to concentrate. He took several deep breaths and centered himself. His magic was humming over his skin, through his veins. He grabbed some of it, just a bit this time, and tried to feed it into the bond. Shoving was bad. When he shoved, Hermione got thrown ten feet across the room and he got hexed. Hermione's face was excited and animated.

"Yes! Baby, that's it! Okay, George, now you," she called to George who'd wandered across the room. Fred was flush with success, and he watched Hermione pull George's magic through the bond. Her hair stood out from her head, and floated in a nimbus around her shining face.

"Okay, spitfire," George told her in a low, soothing voice. Hermione held out her hands in front of her, palms facing one another and glowing ball of fire spun there.

"Wicked."

"I know, right?" Hermione grinned at them. She lifted her hands and flung the fireball across the room at the mannequins. The magical explosion destroyed all five of them. They looked at one another and smiled.

"Um, spitfire?" Fred said cautiously, trying not to frighten her.

"Yes?" Hermione smiled at him, thrilled with their success.

"You need to come down, love," George said softly, holding out a hand. Hermione looked down and realized she was levitating. Again. She sighed and took George's hand. He tugged her into his arms, and hugged her tightly before releasing her.

"Bloody Hell," she muttered under her breath. Fred and George gasped in horror and put the backs of their hands across their foreheads.

"Such language!"

"And from a _prefect_!"

"You're supposed to be-"

"-a role model for younger students."

"Right," she drawled. "And you two are such sterling examples of wizarding manhood."

"'Course we are, love," George said cheerfully.

"It's why you love us," Fred said smugly. Hermione quirked a brow at them both.

"Yes, that must be it," she said. Then she shrieked when they started to chase her around the room.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food. Harry flinched and Ginny made a moue of distaste.

"Moping up by that swamp, I expect," Ginny said tartly.

"Again?" Ron asked in surprise. Ginny just rolled her eyes.

"Surprisingly enough, Ron, she loves them. They're gone. She's not sure when she'll see them again because Mum may very well kill them both, so yeah, she's at the swamp, _again_." Ginny snapped in irritation. Ron blinked and then his face screwed up into righteous indignation.

"Now see here," he snapped at her. "There's no need to be like that."

"I'm worried about her," Harry said softly, frowning.

"I am, too," Ginny agreed quietly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

They were hiding in one of the office in the Department of Mysteries. When Hermione was flung into the bookcase, her bracelet had been broken, and she didn't even notice that it was no longer on her wrist. Panic and anxiety were running through her, but she was intensely focused on making it out of this room alive with Neville and Harry. When the mask was ripped off the one Death Eater, she saw his eyes go to her wrist and widen. _Dolohov_. The Death Eater who had killed the Prewetts. He knew what she was. Terror consumed her and when he started to speak into his mask she cast a _silencio_ on him. He couldn't tell them what she was. He couldn't. In her terror, it hadn't occurred to her that as an adult, he would be fully capable of casting nonverbal spells. As the purple light arced toward her everything seemed to stop. She gasped a small "oh", and crumpled to the floor.

Fred and George had been at number 12 Grimmauld Place sitting with Bill and their Dad, along with Sirius and Remus, because their Mum was still incredibly angry with them, and the Burrow was a bit cool. They were talking about their new shop, and drinking butterbeer, when fear and anxiety began to pulse down the bond. It felt a lot stronger than normal, too.

"Bloody hell, she's in London," George said with a frown.

"What the hell are they up to _now_?" Fred snapped. The other four men blinked at them.

"Boys?" Mr. Weasley asked mildly. Fred and George looked at one another, and then at their Dad.

"Er, Hermione's here, somewhere."

"And I would guess that she's with Harry."

"And she's scared."

"Contact Dumbledore," Sirius snapped, and Remus shot off a Patronus message. A messenger came back quickly. Tonks and Shacklebolt would meet them at the Ministry, that's where Hermione was.

"We're coming, too," Fred and George said firmly. Just then, a wave of abject terror hit them, and then intense pain. Their knees buckled, but they held on to each other.

"Let's hurry," Mr. Weasley said. Fred and George staggered after the other men.

They raced through the Ministry, following Tonks and Shacklebolt, until they burst into a room where Ginny, Ron, Harry, Luna, Neville were vastly outnumbered by death eaters. A crumpled form on the ground near Harry and Neville drew Fred and George, until their Dad grabbed them and shook his head.

"Don't draw attention to her," Mr. Weasley said fiercely. Fred and George paled and nodded.

When Dumbledore arrived the fighting was almost over, but Bellatrix LeStrange didn't seem to understand that play time was over. She wouldn't leave Sirius alone, and he was far too close to a strange archway that made Fred and George very nervous. They turned their attention to Bellatrix and started tandem hexing her. She whirled in a rage, ignoring Sirius, who realized how close he was to the strange archway and moved off the dais and toward Dumbledore and Harry. Bellatrix gave a shriek of rage and disapparated.

Fred and George turned as one toward the tiny pathetic figure on the ground. They gathered her up in their arms.

"She has a pulse," Neville croaked at them. "She's alibe, I doe it."

"Thanks, Neville," George muttered. They could feel that she was alive.

"What happened?" Fred asked brokenly.

"I'b dot sure, it was purple light," Neville said uncertainly. Fred and George looked at one another, mutual worry and fear shining in their eyes.

Everyone was taken to Hogwarts and Fred and George absolutely refused to be moved from Hermione's side. They glared everyone down, and Madame Pomfrey didn't even try to get them to leave. Remus, Sirius and Harry sat back a bit from the rest of the Weasley family who were gathered around Ron and Ginny. Madame Pomfrey forced several potions down Hermione's throat and when she woke with a gasp she looked straight at Fred and George. They moved to surround her bed, brushing her hair back and pressing feather light kisses against her brow.

"Dolohov!" She croaked at them, terror coming off of her in waves. "He knows! He knows!"

"He knows what?" Remus asked curiously, moving closer to her. "Hermione, why are you so frightened? Harry's fine, we kept the prophecy away from You-know-who, what's wrong?"

Her eyes widened and he saw her try to hide her wrist. He frowned at her and snatched at her wrist before Fred or George could stop him.

"What's this?" He asked in surprise.

"Hermione, what happened to your bracelet?" Harry asked, moving closer to the bed.

"When I hit the bookshelf, it was broken, Dolohov _saw_, I tried to stop him from telling, he-he…" Hermione started sobbing and Fred and George held her gently, their heads bent toward hers.

"Merlin's beard," muttered Remus. He turned to look at Sirius who was standing behind Harry, his hand on his shoulders. He held up Hermione's wrist and showed it to Sirius. "Threesomes."

"Circe's tits!" Sirius swore, staring at Hermione's wrist.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley moved closer to the bed and stared at Hermione's wrist. She glared at Fred and George who sighed and removed the glamours on their wrists. Remus swallowed nervously. There hadn't been an actual, active triad in quite some time. It was a little unnerving knowing you were standing this close to one.

"Tattoos, you said," Mrs. Weasley said sharply. "Seven year-olds with tattoos, I knew there was something up, I knew it! How, _why?_"

"They did this when they were _seven_?" Sirius said in horror. "Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Yes, Sirius, _I_ am aware," Molly Weasley said coldly, glaring at him. Sirius blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, yes, you do. Sorry, but why would you let them-"

"Ha!" Molly laughed bitterly. "I didn't _let_ them do anything. They're quite good at doing whatever they want and damn anyone else."

"Mum," George said in a pained voice. Molly glared at him and he flinched.

"Don't," Hermione's voice was angry. "Don't do this, Mrs. Weasley, please."

Molly's face softened when she looked at Hermione and it looked as though she were trying not to cry.

"You didn't even have a choice," she whispered, straightening Hermione's bedclothes. Hermione smiled slightly.

"I'm sure that I did," Hermione said firmly. "Fred and George have never done anything underhanded with me. They've never even pranked me. Did you know that?"

Madame Pomfrey bustled out and shooed everyone, except Fred and George, away from Hermione. They sat by her, refusing to leave her. When her parents arrived, they introduced themselves as close friends. Her parents had heard her mention both boys, so they didn't think anything of it. Her mother fussed about her wrist though.

"What happened to her bracelet?" Dr. Granger said worriedly.

"She was attacked, and it broke," Fred said dully. Dr. Granger insisted on wrapping it up under a bandage. Fred and George frowned slightly, but soon the Grangers were gone, and they didn't have to worry about them upsetting Hermione anymore.

Sirius and Remus came and sat with them sometimes. Harry would join them, when he could. Their Mum and Dad as well. Mum eventually came around, and they suspected that Dad was largely responsible. They knew Mum had already perceived them as a triad, it was just a shock to learn that they were already official.

"You have to complete the bond as soon as possible, you know that, right?" Sirius asked them quietly one day when their mother wasn't around. They smiled smugly at him.

"Already did."

"You did?" Sirius was surprised, and frowned slightly.

"Remember the earthquake?"

"That was you? I should have guessed!" Sirius muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, only, can we not say anything to Mum, unless we have to? And if you do, can we be elsewhere?"

"Maybe Romania?"

"I'll do my best," Sirius promised with a sly smile.

Eventually, Fred and George had to leave, but they reassured Hermione several times over that they would visit her often, since she was still confined to the Hospital ward. They'd like to see anybody stop them from visiting their spitfire, they told her. They also gave her a new bracelet.

"Your mum seems awfully keen on this being covered up," George told her gently.

"And we sort of like the idea of you wearing our bracelet," Fred added.

"'Course, the fact that it's loaded with protection charms doesn't hurt either," George told her with a grin. She rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Thank you," she said softly. They kissed her. "I love it, it's very pretty."

"You just get better," They told her firmly.

"I will. Madame Pomfrey's very positive." Hermione told them.

_A/N: Augh! I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. I love Sirius too much to kill him. This does not make me a big softie, and there will be pain and sadness aplenty. I just couldn't kill Sirius. I figured, it might even be logical, work with the plot given that there are more good guys this time, and they had more advanced warning. I would be happy to let him be boinked to death. I think Harry might even be okay with that. Can you imagine? Death by Succubus, or some such. _


	14. Summer Holiday

_A/N: As you dear, kind, and astute readers may have realized—it's only going to get more and more AU as we go on. Now, I chose Dolohov for a specific reason. In Ootp, when Harry's doing his internal monologue in the Department of Mysteries, he notices Dolohov and he mentions (in his head) that Dolohov killed the Prewett twins. It made sense to me that Dolohov would know exactly why they were being killed. During the First War, from what JKR has said or hinted, Voldemort made an effort to court powerful wizards. I can only imagine that he would have drooled all over himself at the thought of having a triad, and that his rage at being rejected wouldn't exactly be quiet. Therefore, it made sense that Dolohov, in this story, would see Hermione's wrist and know exactly what it meant. He would know that Hermione Granger, best friend to Voldemort's nemesis, was part of a triad. Will Voldemort and the Death Eaters make the same mistake that Sirius initially did and assume that the Golden Trio is a Golden Triad? Again, thank you so much for all of your amazing feedback. It's been such a pleasure to hear, er, well, see, your thoughts and ideas. _

Dumbledore's office was an amazing room, but one that Hermione hadn't really seen as much of as Harry had, and for that, she was grateful. At the moment, she would rather be anywhere but here. She squirmed uncomfortably in her chair and nervously twisted the bracelet on her wrist. Her parents were sitting next to her, looking coldly at her Headmaster. They were less than amused to be informed that their daughter had managed to perform a sibling bond with her best friend, and that in the wizarding world her legal name was now Hermione Potter. They were also less than amused to learn that Sirius Black, who they had heard of as an escaped criminal, was now their daughter's legal guardian in the wizarding world because she was still a minor.

Thank Merlin, they didn't have to discuss the fact that she was sort of married. She didn't even want to think about how hurt and angry her parents would be about that. Apparently, the bond counted as a legally binding magical contract between the three of them, but it—thankfully—wouldn't send an automatic alert to the Ministry, nor would it legally change her name. Sirius explained that this was because in a bonding with multiple partners the bonded themselves would often choose what last name, if any, they would share. They could file a status change with the Ministry, it would be easy enough to prove the bond, but no one recommended that she do that any time soon. She might as well jump up and down in front of Voldemort and beg him to Avada her. She shook her head and tried to pay attention to her parents.

"_We_ are her parents, she is still _our_ daughter!" Her father practically growled at Dumbledore.

"Of course you are, and of course she is," Dumbledore soothed. "It's just that, we feel it might be safest for Hermione to spend her summer with Harry."

"But we've made plans! There's a conference in Budapest, we're taking Hermione with us," her mother said in shocked surprise.

"That sounds lovely," Professor Dumbledore said smoothly, but Dr. and Dr. Granger were angry and upset.

"I don't want to hear anymore! Hermione is staying with us this summer. She's our daughter, damn it. She's certainly not staying with some ex-convict!" Her father was almost frothing at the mouth now. Hermione closed her eyes miserably. She should have talked to them, first…explained things, but Harry had been so worried about her, and he'd wanted to help keep her safe. How could she say no to Harry? Not to mention Sirius with his stupid puppy eyes and Remus with his calm logic had convinced her that it was a brilliant plan.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way," Dumbledore said quietly. "You should know that Sirius Black was an innocent man, who was thrown in prison without a trial. He has been fully exonerated, and has retaken his place in our society. Perhaps, toward the end of the summer, you might change your mind."

"I highly doubt it," her father said coldly.

"Come on, Hermione," her mother said softly, and Hermione stood and followed her parents out of the Headmaster's office.

Two weeks later found her in Budapest sitting in the hotel restaurant waiting for her parents to get back from the conference. They had calmed down a lot since that meeting in Dumbledore's office. They weren't going to pull her out of Hogwarts. She'd received a panicked letter from Harry asking if that was a possibility, which she'd been forced to answer by an incessantly pecking Hedwig. Fred and George were not best pleased that they couldn't see her, and might not see her for the entire summer. It was so easy to tell when they received her letters, anger, hurt and frustration always shot down the bond. She missed them so much that she ached. Hermione sighed and rested her head on the back of the chair.

"Long day, dear?" Her mother asked carefully. Hermione opened her eyes and smiled slightly at her mother. Her father was looking at her with loving concern. It wasn't their fault, it really wasn't. They did love her.

"Yes, I've been trying to cram as many museums in as I can," Hermione said cheerfully. Her father smiled at that, and patted her hand.

Her parents had just sat down and picked up their menus when there was a scream of fear from the reception area. Hermione slid her wand out of her purse and unobtrusively slid it up her sleeve. She didn't really need the wand anymore, but the feel of it pressed into the flesh of her forearm was comforting and familiar. The back of her neck prickled uncomfortably and she moved immediately.

"Hermione? What are you doing?" Her mother asked in surprise.

"Get _down_, Mum," she whispered urgently.

"What are you talking about?" Her father asked in surprise.

"_Please_," she begged. "Get down."

Her parents tried arguing with her, which was perhaps not the wisest choice they could have made, but often people who have had no experience with war or trauma discount those who have as 'fanciful' or 'over-exaggerating the situation'. When Death Eaters entered the hotel restaurant, Hermione was not surprised. She wasn't feeling any emotion at all. She only felt numb. She knew something was coming, and her parents wouldn't listen. A Death Eater raised his wand toward a small child, and unthinking Hermione immediately cast a _protego. _For her efforts, a nasty hex was sent her way, and she ducked. She counted quickly and realized that there were six Death Eaters and one her. She cast a quick _protego_ on her parents, tried frantically to thwart her attackers. Two flashes of green made her parents slump to the floor in front of her. She stared in horrified fascination at the floor. Three of the Death Eaters had their wands trained on her, and in sheer terror, she _pulled _ heavily on the bond. She flung fireballs at the Death Eaters that had wands trained on her, and they screamed as they burned. Sickened, horrified at herself, Hermione fell to her knees and clutched at the bodies of her parents. She looked up at the remaining three death eaters and there was another fireball, spinning lazily in her hand. They turned and ran. _Cowards_, she thought at them, bitterly. She clung to her parents, sobbing for a minute, giving in to grief, and then she pulled back. She had to get out of here. Now. Where could she go? She couldn't apparate, she was still sixteen. She didn't even know where the Budapest magical community was, and she didn't know if any of them were in league with Voldemort. She couldn't wait to hear back from an owl, she needed to get to safety _now._ Feeling sick to her stomach, she dug through her dad's pockets and grabbed her mom's purse. She slipped their wedding rings into her mom's purse as well. Tears blinding her, she ran from the hotel.

She found her way to the train station after she'd quietly accio'ed her passport from the hotel's safe. She shook with grief and rage, tears streaming down her cheeks until she realized that she was staring at a rail map. She started laughing hysterically as she looked at the map. Several people looked at her oddly, and she knew she must look awful. She hurried to the ticket window.

"Do you speak English?" She asked uncertainly. _Please. Please please please speak English_.

"Little bit," the ticketmaster said gruffly, eyeing her tearstained face.

"One way ticket to, er, Brasov, Romania," she said quietly. They exchanged money and he pushed the ticket toward her.

"Train leave soon," he said gruffly. "You go, gate 4."

Hermione hurried toward gate 4, and boarded the train. She wished she knew how to cast a Patronus message. That was more advanced than just a Patronus, and she knew that Order members knew how to do it, but she hadn't thought to wheedle someone into teaching her. So, right. She couldn't apparate. She had no access to portkeys or floo networks of any kind. She supposed she could owl people, but she could just as easily do that from Romania. At the moment, it was her best bet. She knew that Brasov was in the mountains near the reserve, it was the closest muggle village. She would head toward the heavy wards of the reserve, use her triad's power to blast right through, and then _somebody_ would come check on the wards and then she could talk to Charlie and then she'd get home to Fred and George and then she'd have a total nervous breakdown. As soon as she got home, she could fall apart. Just…not yet.

The summer had not been good to Fred or George so far. They had become increasingly short-tempered as the weeks dragged on and Hermione was no closer to coming to them. They had joined the Order immediately just to have something to do, and most nights found them hanging out at headquarters and moping with Sirius, and sometimes Remus. Fred was fidgeting, and George was slouched in a chair. They hadn't seen Hermione for almost a month, and it was starting to physically hurt. They had the bond, and that was fine, it told them that she was okay, but it wasn't the same. At the moment, they were prank swapping—who did it better, bigger, more impressively—and several of the stories had drawn laughter from the two younger men for the first time in weeks.

"And then, the Ravenclaws realized that it was a flobberworm, and—," Sirius was recounting his tale animatedly when Fred and George jumped to their feet wands out.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked urgently, on his feet and his wand out. Fred and George looked at each other in confusion.

"She's scared," they said with identical frowns, and then they fainted.

Fred blinked groggily, staring up into the worried face of his mother. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Can you feel her?" She asked brokenly. "Is she still there?"

Fred shook his head, and put a hand to forehead. He frowned slightly, and then the bond slammed back and he wavered slightly. He glanced over at George who was still unconscious.

"She's there," he whispered. "Mum, she's terrified, and…and heartbroken…and she feels so guilty."

"Who do we have that can get to Budapest?" demanded Sirius, pacing furiously. Remus shook his head.

"I don't know," he said quietly.

"Charlie!" Fred said urgently. "He's in Romania, it's close. Closer'n us anyhow."

"Spitfire," George moaned, and Fred crawled over to him because he wasn't sure he could walk at the moment.

"'Sokay, George, I'm here," Fred mumbled and laid his head on his brother's shoulder.

"What's wrong with them," Molly asked, her heart in her throat. Sirius frowned.

"If I had to guess? Something bad happened in Budapest, and Hermione was forced to protect herself. She had to pull power from the bond, it made the twins pass out. When she released the energy, it backlashed into the bond and it's made the twins a little loopy." Sirius said slowly.

"That would be my guess. I'm not sure how they use the bond. They were going to show us how they do it, but Hermione hasn't been allowed to come see us yet." Remus said flatly. Molly nodded.

"Get Charlie," Fred said distinctly from the floor. George mumbled something that sounded like an agreement.

"Right," Remus said with a nod, and sent a Patronus message to Charlie. His floo response from Budapest was chilling.

"Sweet Mother of Merlin, Remus! It's a fucking war zone in their restaurant. Hermione…her parents are dead. From what the muggles say there were six Death Eaters and one of them tried to attack a little kid. Hermione tried to defend everyone, but there were too many of them. Then…they Avada'd her Mum and Dad, and I think she lost it because we've got three really crispy Death Eaters here. She's gone, she's not here. I can't find any trace of her." He spoke quickly, but his voice was worried.

"Fireballs," one of the twins said, from their position on the couch. "Greater Battle Magics. Been practicing."

"Bloody hell," Sirius said with a white face.

"Where would she go?" Remus asked plaintively.

"She's only sixteen. She can't apparate yet. Does she know how to contact the Hungarian wizarding community?" Sirius asked the twins. They shook their heads.

"Our spitfire wouldn't trust 'em anyway. She'd worry they had ties to You-know-who." The other twin said weakly.

"Okay, so no access to porkeys, floo networks, or any way to immediately contact us, at all. What would she do?" Sirius demanded.

"Panic?" One of the twins muttered dryly.

"Well, yeah, but then she'd go to the closest person she could think of,"

"which would be…Charlie."

"Fuck," Charlie swore. Molly's lips pressed together tightly, but she didn't reprimand her son. She pretty much agreed with him at the moment.

"You have to go back. As soon as possible. If you have no other way in, how do you get to the reserve?" Remus asked urgently.

"Brasov," Charlie said immediately. Remus nodded.

"Okay, go find her. Bring her home," Remus ordered.

"I'm on it," Charlie said determinedly, and the link went dead.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The village of Brasov was high in the Carpathian Mountains, and the air smelled crisp and clean. Hermione looked down at her dirty clothes and rubbed a hand over her face. She stumbled as she moved off the train, and wandered toward the signs for the women's washroom. The mirror was not her friend, she decided. She looked awful. Her face was blotchy, there were bags under her eyes and tear tracks on her face. She brutally scrubbed her cheeks with icy water because apparently 'hot' wasn't an option. She sighed and stared at her face. She could feel more tears trying to escape and shook her head fiercely. No breaking down yet. She wasn't home. She wasn't with Fred and George. First she had to go break into a Dragon Reserve. She left the women's washroom and walked right into a wall.

"Ow," she muttered and rubbed her nose tenderly. The wall moved. It turned and there was a concerned face peering down at her.

"Eşti bine?" asked a polite man's voice.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Romanian," she said in a small voice.

"You okay? No hurt?" He said slowly and carefully.

"I'm okay. I'm not hurt." She gave him a slightly watery smile.

"Bun." He nodded politely to her and moved on.

"_Hermione_?" She heard someone calling her name frantically and she turned to look.

"Charlie? Oh, Charlie!" She was racing across the platform and flying into her sort of brother-in-law's arms. He cradled her against his chest and let her cry all over his shirt.

"Shhh. It's okay, love." He said soothingly and patted her back.

"It's not," she wailed into his chest. She stared up at him and whispered fiercely. "It's not! My parents are dead, and…and…I _killed_ people."

"I know," he said quietly. "Now, I've got a portkey, and we're going to go see Fred and George, yeah?"

"Really?" Her eyes begged him to tell her the truth.

"Yes. They're going spare not having you about. Bit pathetic, really." Charlie tried to tease her, but Hermione wasn't quite there yet. She started sobbing brokenly, and seemed to go limp against him. _Well, hell_. "C'mon, love, grab the nice portkey."

She grabbed it.

Charlie was standing in an alley near Grimmauld Place, carrying a still sobbing Hermione in his arms. He shifted her weight slightly and hurried out of the alley and toward Headquarters.

"It's okay, honey, really it is. We're almost there. You can feel 'em, right? That's what they said anyway," Charlie muttered this last bit under his breath.

"They're going to hate me," she wailed into his chest. "I'm a monster!"

"Hardly," Charlie muttered.

"But…but I," she began and Charlie shifted her again.

"They _know_. I was in Budapest, I told them. Does it feel like they hate you?" Charlie demanded.

"N-no." She whispered.

"Well, there you are. And here we are." _Thank Merlin_. Crying women were not in his comfort zone.

The door was flung open violently, and Charlie heard a pained groan that sounded a lot like Sirius.

"Remind me to stop trying to get between them and Hermione," he heard someone gasp out.

"Hermione!"

"Spitfire!"

Hermione was snatched out of Charlie's arms and whisked upstairs faster than he had realized was possible. He blinked uncertainly at the people left in the doorway.

"Hello, Mum," he said with a grin.

"Oh, Charlie!" Molly hugged him tightly and pulled him into the house.

"Can someone please help me up?" Sirius groaned from the floor.


	15. Ministry Managed

Safe. Complete. Whole. All of those words played a part in how Hermione currently felt, but then she would feel guilty for feeling that way. Her parents were _dead_. How dare she feel complete? How dare she be happy? Yet how could she not, when she had Fred and George wrapped so tightly around her that she couldn't breathe? Their bond was _still _humming, now that they were all together again. Selfishly, she focused on the here and now, and pressed her face into George's chest so she could inhale the smell she'd been missing for weeks. The ache inside her was gone, eased. She pressed a kiss to the well-developed pectoral muscle that was at her eye level and tentatively licked the salty skin for good measure. Then she pressed her ear to the middle of his chest and listened to his heartbeat slowly and steadily. She sighed happily and snuggled deeper into the twins' embrace.

One of the twins wandered downstairs wearing nothing but pajama pants and a distinct bite mark on his shoulder. He headed for the kitchen, gathered up a pile of food that should have fed an army, and headed back upstairs. The next day, a different twin (the bite mark was on the other shoulder) wandered downstairs and repeated the procedure. These hunts for food were mostly nocturnal and therefore witnessed by Sirius, Remus and Charlie who smiled indulgently and nodded at whoever was wandering in. The twin, which ever it might be, would grin foolishly and shrug.

On the third day, Hermione wandered into the kitchen early in the morning and puttered quietly. She fried sausages and potatoes and made a quick batch of muffins. She felt energized, and the organized movements of working in the kitchen helped her work through that extra energy. Harry wandered into the kitchen and gave her a back-popping hug, and then stood behind her with his arms around her waist.

"Is any of that for me, or is it all for your poor starving men?" He teased her gently. She shot him a grin over her shoulder.

"It's for anyone who wants it," she said with a smile. "If they get down here and it's all gone, tough."

"Ah, so you told them to get their lazy arses out of bed already, did you?" His chest rumbled against her back with a chuckle. She had, actually. Harry knew her too well.

Charlie wandered into the kitchen, following the scent of food, and received a heaping plate, a mug of hot, strong tea and hearty kiss on the cheek. He blinked groggily at her and then turned to Harry for an explanation.

"That's your 'thanks for saving me' breakfast," Harry said with a grin. "Hurry up and eat before the twins get down."

"Why?" Charlie asked after taking a sip of his tea. Hermione gave him a naughty smile and Harry's grin was downright wicked.

"I told them to get up. I told them I'd make breakfast," Hermione said briskly, turning back to the oven to check her muffins. "If they can't be bothered to come down, they don't eat."

"Put the poor dears are probably exhausted," Charlie said with mock sympathy. Hermione snorted.

"Er, no," she said with a shake of her curls. Charlie smirked at her.

"Are you telling me you've been in your room for _three days_ playing exploding snap?" He asked incredulously. Hermione blushed.

"No, I'm not, but they're not tired," she said firmly with her hands on her hips.

"You know, it's times like these when I'm sad that Bill's not here," Charlie said cheerfully.

"Why is that?" Harry asked in surprise. Charlie chewed his sausage and swallowed before answering. Hermione couldn't help but compare him to Ron, and find in Charlie's favor.

"We never get one over on the twins, devious little bastards. I'm going to have fun before I head back," Charlie said with satisfaction. Hermione quirked a brow at him and he grinned cheekily at her. She sighed.

"You did save me," she said thoughtfully. "So I suppose making the twins' lives miserable is a fair request."

"More than fair," Harry observed.

"Fine," she said finally. Charlie's grin was almost frightening, and Hermione wondered if perhaps she had erred by mistake.

A officious looking owl flew in with a letter which it dropped in front of Hermione. She picked it up and paled. Harry stood up immediately and came behind her to read it with her.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked.

"It's from the Ministry of Magic, Department of Underage Magic," Harry muttered at Charlie. "They don't have jurisdiction in foreign countries, do they?"

"Maybe Hungary wants to extradite her?" Charlie suggested. "I'm not sure how international magical law works."

"Open it, love," Harry encouraged her. "It's the only way we'll find out."

_Hermione Potter_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place_

_London_

_Dear Miss Potter, _

_We have received intelligence that you have violated Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. As you may be aware, this is a serious offense, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic_ _, which has been scheduled for 10 a.m. the eighth of July. _

_Hoping you are well,  
Yours sincerely,  
Mafalda Hopkirk  
Improper Use of Magic Office  
Ministry of Magic_

Hermione sat down heavily, but as there wasn't a chair under her, she sat on the kitchen floor, the letter still in her hand. Harry took the letter out of her hand carefully and read it, frowning. Charlie held out his hand and took a turn reading it as well.

"Hermione? Why ever are you on the floor, kitten?" Sirius asked curiously. Charlie wordlessly handed him the letter. His face grew cold and hard. "The bloody bastards! They can't even charge her with a specific spell because it was all wandless, wasn't it? This isn't even a warning? REMUS!"

There was a muffled thump and then the sound of running. Remus burst into the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. Hermione's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. Who knew Professor Lupin was hiding that body under his robes? No wonder Tonks was hung up on him. Remus noticed her slack-jawed gaze and blushed. Harry snickered into his tea, and Charlie grinned. Sirius waved the letter in Remus' face and he snatched it and began to read. Soon his face was just as hard and cold as Sirius'.

"They're trying to flush them out," he growled. "They don't know for sure, but they suspect. Damn it, Sirius, we can't let them do this!"

"They can't help but know what I am," Hermione said dully. Sirius and Remus frowned at her in consternation. Harry knelt down and stroked her hair.

"Why is that, love?" He asked her quietly. He held out a hand and she took it. When she got back to her feet, she backed away from them carefully, and cupped her hands in front of her. A small swirling, spinning ball of fire appeared above her cupped hands. She transferred it to just one hand and watched it spin lazily for a minute.

"This is what they s-saw…in…in Hungary," she said slowly, her eyes held in a trance by the flames dancing above her palm. Pounding down the stairs and flying into the kitchen came the twins, barely dressed and wands out. They stared at everyone and then turned to Hermione.

"Merlin's beard, spitfire! Warn a man, first!" George swore. Hermione flicked her fingers and the ball of fire vanished. She moved to him and touched his jaw with her fingertips.

"What's wrong?" Fred demanded, moving close so that he could assure himself that she was safe. Remus handed him the letter. Fred's jaw grew so tight that she fancied she could hear his teeth grinding together. He passed it wordlessly to George whose face became enraged. Hermione snuggled up against his bare chest and he absently stroked her shoulder.

"You two can't go with her," Sirius said flatly. Fred and George turned and glared murderously at him.

"The hell we won't," Fred snarled. Remus frowned at them.

"You can't be anywhere near her. They want you as a unit. Right now, they have no idea who her other bond mates are. You can't give them that," Remus explained flatly. Fred and George raged for hours, but eventually they conceded that Remus and Sirius were right.

The day of Hermione's hearing Sirius and Harry, as her family, escorted her to the Ministry. Sirius watched everyone and his hand kept twitching toward his wand. Harry was incredibly tense and looked like he wanted to throttle everyone who looked at Hermione. She walked serenely between them, and Harry wondered absently if she were trying to channel Luna, or something. She seemed to be smiling slightly and her arms swung just a bit as she walked down the hall.

"Hermione?" He asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, fine," she said with a vague smile. She clasped his hand tightly and squeezed it. "If I'm sent to Azkaban-,"

"Over my dead body," growled Sirius.

"Mine, too," Harry said darkly.

"Hermione, did you…er, take something?" Sirius asked nervously. Hermione blinked at him.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Sirius?" She asked, the picture of confused innocence.

"You seem…er, rather carefree, considering," He said cautiously.

"Oh, that," Hermione gave a soft laugh. "I've been a very naughty girl."

"Erm, come again?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Shhh," she whispered to him. Then she looked at Sirius. "It will all be fine. I promise."

"Merlin help us," Sirius muttered.

"Mmm. Perhaps he shall," Hermione said softly.

The hearing was a farce. Sirius demanded to know why there had not been a warning, as there would have been normally. The sitting judges looked through their paperwork and conceded that, as a first offense, it should have been a warning. However, the seriousness of the event warranted an inquiry.

"She was attacked by six Death Eaters!" Sirius bellowed. "Of course there was magical fallout! That is hardly her fault."

"Mr. Black," the presiding judge said coolly. "We are aware that there were _six_ Death Eaters. What we are not aware of, is how she managed to survive an attack of that magnitude."

"It's rather a family trait," Hermione piped up, an angelic smile on her face. "You know of my brother, I'm sure."

"Miss Potter, are you trying to convince the court that you survived an attack by six Death Eaters merely on the cachet of your family name?" A female judge sitting next to the presiding judge looked incredulous.

"Well, three of them were cowards, they scarpered off almost right away." Well, after the fire balls anyway, she amended to herself.

"I see," the presiding judge said coldly.

"Oh, I do hope so," Hermione continued in that sweetly angelic tone. "Harry and I simply must get back to Ron."

"Really?" The other adjutant judge said, his eyes narrowing in interest. "Why is that?"

"We miss him," Hermione said simply. The judges looked at one another and then stared penetratingly at Harry and Hermione. They shuffled some more paperwork and whispered among themselves.

"We were able to contain the situation in Hungary," the presiding judge stated looking over a sheet in his hand. "Miss Potter's life was threatened, and she attempted to protect herself and several muggles present. The Ministry won't pursue punitive measures at this time. However, Miss Potter, I would warn you that you will receive only this one warning."

"Yes, sir," Hermione said with a slightly vacant look in her eyes. Harry exchanged a worried glance with Sirius.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Several muggles present? Several muggles present? Those were my _parents_, Harry!" Hermione was raging through Grimmauld Place throwing things and screaming. Walburga Black started screaming at the top of her lungs and Hermione whirled and blasted the portrait with raw power. It fell off the wall with a bang and lay there burning and smoking on the floor of the hallway. Sirius stared at the portrait and then looked at Hermione with adoration.

"I think I love you," he said slowly. Fred and George rolled their eyes at him.

"She's already taken, so back off," they said flatly. He smirked at them.

"The important thing, is that you fooled the Ministry," Harry said quietly. She nodded.

"What on earth did you do to yourself?" Sirius asked curiously. She giggled.

"Fred and George helped me. It's a twist on a Notice-Me-Not charm. It makes the sufferer appear weak and gullible. It was supposed to make me seem non-threatening." Hermione said brightly. "I think it worked rather well."

"I'll say," Harry said feelingly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"All right, Remus?" Fred asked, glancing at their friend. The older man nodded and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a fresh quill.

"Remember, baby, feed it to me nice and slow, don't get impatient," Hermione said absently. Remus and Sirius looked at one another and shifted uncomfortably.

"It only happens when I get nervous," Fred groused at her. "If you'd stop harping on it, it wouldn't happen."

"Let's fling you across a room and into a wall, and see if the memory doesn't stay with you a bit," Hermione shot back. Fred flushed and rolled his neck.

"Fine," he bit out. He took a deep breath and gathered part of his magic with mental hands. He made a slender ribbon of it, and gently pushed it through the bond toward Hermione.

"Got it. Okay, love, your turn," Hermione purred at George. He pushed his toward her as well, and she caught both ribbons easily. "Now, what can we show Remus and Sirius without destroying the library?"

Fred moved closer to her and held out his hand.

"Spitfire," he murmured at her softly. She turned and took his hand and he tugged her back down to the ground.

"Oh! Well, there is that, Remus, was that useful?" Hermione called over to him. He was writing furiously on the parchment, but he glanced up to look at her and nodded.

"Very," he said after a minute. "It's fascinating just watching you feed magic to Hermione. I mean, your magic is blended together, but you each use a part of it, and then—you feed her bits of it for greater magics. It's incredible."

"We need more room to show you some things," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Oh, um, I can do fantastic wards for you, Sirius. It'll make the stuff your family's put on look like cardboard armor."

"Really?" Remus looked excited. "Can you show us?"

Fred, Hermione, and George all joined hands and made a small circle. They fed her a wider band of magic that she took and braided together with her own. The amount of power that she was focusing was frightening to Remus and Sirius, who stared at the triad in awe. Hermione's hair was floating around her head in a nimbus. The triad rose slightly off the ground and hovered several inches above the floor. Remus watched the wards that Hermione was creating. They were layered, but each layer was much thicker, much stronger than he had ever seen in his life. When they were done—and it was they, Remus could see gentle nudges from Fred or George for her to place a certain layer just _so_—it was fairly obvious that _no one_ would ever be getting into Grimmauld Place unless Sirius wanted them to.

"That's amazing," Sirius said in an awed voice. "Thank you."

"No, don't thank me. This is my home, too, right? I don't want you to get hurt because they're looking for me." Hermione said firmly. The triad gently touched down and let go of one another's hands.

"Of course this is your home," Sirius said firmly. "Just as it's Harry's home."

"Well, then, I want you to be safe," Hermione said with a nod. Fred frowned thoughtfully.

"Could we do this to the Burrow, too?" He asked. Hermione blinked at him.

"Of course we could," she said in surprise. "We can do it tomorrow, if you like. Your mother wants us to meet Bill's fiancée. Fleur Delacour. You remember her, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry said with a slight frown.

"It'll be okay, sweetie. As your sister, I shall protect you from the big bad Veela with her cheek-kissing ways," Hermione teased him. He grinned at her.

"That would be great. Maybe you could throw a teensy weensy fireball at her?" He asked hopefully. Hermione rolled her eyes and Fred and George snorted.

"Bill would kill us," George said. "And she's going to be family."

"True," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Let's floo your Mum and make sure it's okay with her, yeah?"

"What, tossing fireballs at Fleur?" Fred asked goggle-eyed. Hermione stared at him.

"No! The wards for the Burrow." She marched toward the kitchen muttering about men under her breath.

"Ginny'd probably be okay with it," Charlie offered from his chair.

"What's wrong with her?" Remus asked curiously.

"She's French."

"And a Veela."

"Don't forget the French part."

"I see," Remus said slowly, even though he didn't.

"You have sort of experience Fleur to understand," Harry muttered at him. Remus nodded.

_A/N: Hmm. There's a lot here. We've got the Ministry highly interested in the doings of 'Miss Potter'. We've got some practical demos of triad magic. We have a little teasing and family fun. Now, I don't want anyone thinking that I am going to bash on Fleur—except in the sense that Molly and Ginny didn't care for her in HBP (so in a canon-esque sense). I am merely emphasizing the endearing mistrust that the British have for everything French (conveniently forgetting that the Norman invasion means that we've all got a little French in there somewhere). _


	16. Fleur's Allure

_A/N: Still summer before sixth year. _

_**General Housekeeping**__: Grimmauld Place is Sirius' home and Order HQ. Sirius, Harry and Hermione live there because it is their home. Bill, Mr. Weasley, Remus, Tonks, etc. are there at random odd times because they're order members and it __**is**__ HQ. Well, Remus gets visiting privileges because he's a friend. Fred and George are there because it's where Hermione is. (They've mostly been staying at the flat above their shop.) Charlie stayed there for a few days because Sirius and Remus wanted to pick his brain about 'The Budapest Incident'. Molly was sent for when they weren't sure what had happened to the twins. After their safety, and Hermione's, was assured she went back home to prepare for Bill and Fleur's visit. So for those of you who thought she knew her teenage sons had their teenage girlfriend/wife/bondmate in a bedroom for three days, you may breathe a sigh of relief. Ginny, Ron, Molly, Arthur, Bill and Fleur are all at the Burrow. _

_Let the games begin_.

"'Arry! Eet iz zuch a pleasure to see you again," Fleur fluttered delicately at Harry and kissed his cheeks. He blushed and tried to move to the side.

"Er, yeah. Likewise," He said and turned toward his godfather. "This is my godfather, Sirius Black."

"Enchanté, mademoiselle," He murmured and took her hand, pressing a light kiss on the back of her hand. She smiled at him.

"Parlez-vous français, M. Black?" She asked.

"Naturellement," he said with a casual shrug.

"And this is a very close friend, Remus Lupin," Harry continued determinedly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Delacour," he said politely. Fleur smiled and nodded back.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, pup, we're going to go find Molly," Sirius said in an undertone to Harry who nodded. Fleur looked surprised when Sirius and Remus moved passed her easily and strode toward the Burrow.

"You remember Hermione?" Harry asked uncertainly because he wasn't sure if she would. Fleur frowned slightly and then nodded.

"You were Krum's date for ze Yule Ball, no?" Fleur said slowly. Hermione could feel Fred and George stiffen behind her.

"This is my _sister_, Hermione Potter," Harry managed to get out between gritted teeth. Even he could tell that Fred and George were livid.

"Ah," Fleur said politely with a nod. "Eet is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Hermione managed to get out in a neutral voice.

"And these would be Bill's younger brothers, Fred and George," Harry said finally, grateful that Charlie had apparated over earlier because that gave him one less person to introduce.

"Pleasure," they snapped. Fleur blinked at them in surprise. Generally, men responded to her in the most congenial manner. These men were not congenial at all. How curious. She smiled winningly at them, and their dark brown eyes seemed cold and hooded. How very odd.

"Well, your muzzer is waiting anxiously for you up at ze Burrow," Fleur said in a subdued voice. Fred and George marched off toward the house. Harry glanced to his side and started in surprise to find Hermione still standing next to him.

"Let's go see Ron," Harry muttered and Hermione nodded.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Why are Fred and George slamming cupboards in the kitchen muttering about fireballs and Viktor Krum?" Ginny asked curiously.

"OH! I've missed you!" Hermione attacked Ginny and gave her a fierce hug.

"How is my favorite sister-in-law?" Ginny asked fondly. Hermione rolled her eyes. "But, seriously, they're pissed off. Why?"

"Harry introduced me to Fleur. Her first words to me were 'you were the girl that Krum took to the Yule Ball'," Hermione said with a sigh.

"She didn't!" Ginny snickered. "Oh, this is priceless!"

"It's not funny!" Hermione said sharply.

"I can't wait to watch her with Remus," Ginny said with satisfaction. Hermione cocked her head to the side.

"What does Remus have to do with anything?" Hermione asked.

"Werewolves are immune to Veela pheromones. Come to think of it…Fred and George are too because of your bond. Ha! Let her stick that in her pipe and smoke it!" Ginny looked positively gleeful. Hermione wondered if she was feeling well.

"Ginny, what are you on about?" Hermione asked in confusion. Ginny snorted.

"I've been living 24/7 with the butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth-because-every-man-around-for-miles-does-it-for-me brigade. And Bill has this shit-eating grin all the time because she's all his. It's disgusting. Now you've arrived with your own entourage of males who are all immune. It's like freaking Christmas!" Ginny snapped.

"That's an incredibly long name for her brigade. She might want to think of something easier to say," Hermione said absently. "And they aren't _my _entourage. Unless you mean Fred and George."

"Your guardian and his best friend. They'll be immune. Sirius isn't a werewolf, but he's gotta be strong-willed to survive Azkaban for 13 years," Ginny said firmly. Hermione snorted.

"Sirius would chew her up and spit her out and then look around for afters. She couldn't handle him if she tried," she said baldly. There was a low chuckle from the doorway and both girls turned to see the gentleman in question.

"I think that might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me," Sirius said with a genuine smile. Hermione blushed. "Come along, girls, it's time to eat."

"Why did Mum send you?" Ginny asked suspiciously. Sirius shrugged.

"Fred and George are in a foul mood and they attempted to throttle Bill after he said something about an exploding snap championship. Ron looks like he's been imperiused, and Molly's still pinching Harry's cheeks," he ticked off the reasons casually.

"That's the Butter Brigade," Hermione said with a nod to Ginny who snickered.

"I don't even want to know," Sirius muttered as he escorted his adopted daughter and her sister-in-law downstairs.

They came outside, where the tables groaned under the weight of the food laid out by Molly. Hermione turned like a lodestone toward the twins. They were still angry and pissed off. Hermione moved toward them automatically, and they turned when she got closer. She touched them lightly with the tips of her fingers, and they moved closer to her. Fred buried his head in her hair and inhaled her scent. George brought her fingertips up to his lips and kissed each one lightly.

"You know they're doing it on purpose? You're letting them win. That's not like my boys," Hermione murmured quietly. Fred and George looked at her. They frowned.

"She mentioned Krum," Fred muttered. "It distracted us."

"Maybe she was _meant_ to," Hermione murmured quietly. The twins frowned, and then looked thoughtful.

"Cheating bastards," George muttered. Hermione smiled.

"Yes, but we play with fire, don't we?" She purred. The twins started laughing at that, drawing attention.

"What's so funny?" Ron wanted to know. Hermione smiled sweetly.

"Oh, nothing," she said in an angelic voice that drew Harry and Sirius' attention immediately.

"All right, Hermione?" he asked her cautiously. She looked straight at him and her hazel eyes seemed to glow for just a moment.

"You might get your wish," she said tartly. Harry's eyes widened and he looked at Sirius.

"Er, really?" He said.

Somehow, Hermione made it through dinner. She wasn't sure how, actually. Fred and George sat on either side of her, and Bill and Charlie did their best to push the twins. After several obnoxious minutes of Charlie and Bill rhapsodizing about the three-day exploding snap championship, Ron turned toward them and she could tell he was irritated.

"Here, Hermione, I love exploding snap, I would think you'd at least invite me to join you," he said in an injured tone.

Hermione stared at him in horror. She could feel Fred and George stiffen on either side of her. Sirius and Remus were trying hard to pretend like they couldn't hear anything, but their stupid hypersensitive hearing caught every word, and she could see their lips twitching with repressed laughter. Harry and Ginny were staring at Ron as though they couldn't quite believe this was happening.

"It was an invitational," Fred snapped, his glare discouraging further conversation, but Ron wasn't paying attention.

"But, I'm quite good! Why didn't I receive an invitation?" He insisted. Hermione had had enough. She was going to personally kill Bill and Charlie. Fleur would be able to carry her damn fiancée around in a thimble. She threw down her napkin and glared at Ron.

"Has any game of exploding snap that you've ever played caused earthquakes?" she snapped in irritation. Ron blinked.

"Well, no," he said in confusion.

"_That's_ why you didn't receive an invitation, then, okay? Now, shut up and eat your damn dinner." Hermione hissed across the table at him.

"But, Hermione," Ron was still steam-rolling over her.

"Drop it, Ron, or we drop you off a cliff," George growled across the table.

"Earthquakes, you say," Charlie said gleefully. A small fireball shot toward him, he blocked it just in time and blinked at Hermione who was quietly eating her dinner. "Shutting up, then."

"Wise man," Fred muttered under his breath.

"Would have been wiser if he'd shut it a while ago," George muttered back.

"He has to fall asleep sometime, and there are three of us," Hermione purred just loud enough for Charlie to hear. He paled slightly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Is it really necessary for her to talk to us like we're still in the nursery?" Hermione asked in irritation several days later. Ginny grunted in agreement.

"If I had to guess," Harry said thoughtfully, "I'd say that I think she's trying to emphasize her age and maturity to Mrs. Weasley. Bill's older than she is by about seven years."

"When did you get so smart?" Ginny demanded. Harry grinned at her.

"It's rather a family trait," he said slyly. "I believe you know of my sister."

Hermione started giggling and Harry joined her, chuckling. Ginny swatted at them both.

"No fair having the inside sibling jokes! I'm the one who's supposed to be doing that to you two," she complained.

"Still, it's rude and obnoxious," Hermione said flatly. "It makes me want to be rude back, and she's supposed to be family. If Bill lives long enough to get married."

"When has anyone in our family _not_ been rude? Look at Percy the Prat!" Ginny looked genuinely surprised. Hermione shrugged.

"Family is very important to the twins. They may talk a good game, but I can feel what they feel and I _know_." Hermione said matter-of-factly. Ginny sat back.

"Well, I'll be damned," she said quietly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Watch your mouth, your mother's been pacing the halls, again," Hermione chided gently. Ginny stuck out her tongue.

"You know, she's fascinated by the twins, keeps yammering at them trying to figure out why they won't full under her old Veela charms," Ginny muttered grumpily. Hermione's brows rose sharply.

"Bill didn't tell her?" Hermione was genuinely surprised. Ginny shook her head. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Ha! You watch your mouth," Ginny said with a wicked smile. Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not that hard to figure out Hermione. You already _are_ family. Bill's not going to do anything to risk you or the twins."

"Still, there's no reason we can't have fun," Hermione said thoughtfully. She followed the bond delicately, and found boredom and irritation. Ah. They must be listening to Fleur. She tugged, gently, and sent them a small thread of desire.

"You need something, spitfire?" Fred asked curiously, poking his head into Ginny's room.

"Yes, actually," Hermione said rising off of her bed. "We should probably do those wards for your Mum. Did you ask her if that was all right?"

"Yes, and she said that would help her sleep a bit better at night," George offered from over Fred's shoulder. Hermione turned and looked at Ginny and Harry.

"This won't take too long, but after I'll probably want to go home. See you there?" She asked. Harry's expression when she said _home_ said it all. His face lit up and he nodded at her. If she had realized how starved he was for family, she would have done the bond years ago. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a nod at Ginny.

Hermione followed the twins downstairs to the living room. There was no one else there, so Hermione shrugged and grabbed their hands. The Burrow was the twins' home so they each fed her a thick ribbon of magic and nudged her a lot more in regard to certain layers of wards, shields and charms. She could feel their bond humming with power, and she used it to guard her extended family's home, which gave her sense of satisfaction. Hermione smiled to herself when she 'saw' the reinforcements. Fred and George's satisfaction hummed back along the bond.

The work was done, and Hermione gently released the combined magic, picking apart the ribbons and releasing them back to each twin. Fred pulled her towards him and kissed her, the bond humming even more. George had his hands on her hips and was trailing kisses down her neck. She'd wound her arms around Fred's neck and sighed into the kiss when they heard a throat clearing. Hermione pulled back and looked over at a stunned looking Bill and an amused Charlie.

"Can you…er…up there?" Bill asked in a dazed voice. Hermione looked down and realized they were still levitating. They touched down lightly and Fred shrugged.

"Dunno. We never tried, but now that you've suggested it…spitfire, I think it's time to go home, yeah?" Fred leered at her. She blushed and hid her face in his chest.

"Home, yes. I think Sirius has broken both of his legs and needs us," George said thickly.

"Broken both his legs?" Fred rolled his eyes. "Mum would want to come along and check up on him. No, um, we're exhausted from casting the wards. Yeah, that sounds reasonable."

The trio sailed passed Bill who still looked a little stunned, and went to talk to the Weasley matriarch.


	17. Heading Back to Hogwarts

_A/N: Still summer before 6__th__ year. _

After her brief and happy reunion with Fred and George, she rarely saw them because late summer before school started was their busy season. Sirius and Remus were deeply involved with Order business, which for the most part was fairly boring. It was mostly watching, waiting, and gathering intel, and then trying to figure out if the intel was good or not. Harry listened to everything they were up to and tried to listen in on meetings, and Hermione usually joined him, but it certainly wasn't fun. It was all business. Everything was so serious lately. She could die. The twins could die. Harry could die. Everyone could die. Harry and Sirius had sat up until quite late having an intense discussion about whether or not they could _allow_ her to attend Hogwarts. Harry wanted her where he could keep an eye on her—keep her safe. Sirius thought that their home, with its improved wards would be better. Apparently, both men had forgotten with whom they were dealing. _Nothing_ was coming between Hermione Gr—er, Potter and her education. One look into her glowing eyes and one tiny glance at her crackling hair which was giving off little sparks convinced them.

"Very well, kitten, Hogwarts it is," Sirius said with a long suffering look on his face that Hermione didn't believe for a minute.

For the most part, she loved living with Sirius and Harry. They left her alone and let her read, they were both intelligent men, and were able to offer her witty conversation, and they accepted her just the way she was. Sirius had no problem at all with Fred and George showing up at odd hours—although she suspected this might be because she was technically already married. Despite her guardian's somewhat risqué reputation she had the feeling that he would take his responsibilities as her surrogate father as a grave matter. However, it was impossible for him to threaten to kill the men she was soul-bonded to because he knew exactly what that would do to his ward, and he would never do anything to hurt her. The only time living with them grew irritating was when all the men in her life—and somehow she had collected a disturbing number of male family members, and men who considered themselves family—decided that they need to 'protect' her from some perceived danger. There was plenty of actual danger without them getting all worked up about things that would most likely NOT happen.

"I don't think it's safe for you to go to Diagon Alley," Remus said with a slight frown, not realizing that he was stepping into an argument that had raged through number 12 Grimmauld Place for days. He was surprised therefore, when Hermione shrieked with rage and a teacup hit the wall near his head.

"We may have already mentioned that," Sirius drawled, one eye on his ward.

"Hermione, you have to listen to reason," Harry insisted, his face red. Hermione glared at him.

"I will as soon as I hear anything close to reason," she snapped. Harry growled at her and slammed out of the kitchen. She could hear him stomping up the stairs and flinched when he slammed his bedroom door.

"If he didn't love you, he wouldn't care," she thought she heard Sirius mutter under his breath, but she couldn't be sure so she settled for glaring at both men before stalking off to the library.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"I know that there's an incredibly good reason for you to be wandering, alone, in the middle of Diagon Alley, but it doesn't seem to be coming to me," Fred observed idly his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at her. She pouted at him.

"I am not alone," she muttered. She waved a hand back at Tonks who looked terminally depressed and was leaning against an abandoned window front. Fred's eyebrows rose.

"I feel so much better now," he said dryly.

"Wotcher, Fred," Tonks said dully. Fred blinked at her, and turned back to Hermione.

"Does your guardian, does your _brother_ know you're here?" He demanded. Her guilty expression told him everything he needed to know.

Fred was glad that he and George had decided to grab some take out today. Otherwise they never would have known their spitfire was wandering about tempting Death Eaters in broad daylight. He clung to patience tooth and nail. He did not want to yell and scream at Hermione in the middle of Diagon Alley. Not right now. She was leaving them, going back to Hogwarts, and they wouldn't see her for months. He wasn't sure how they were supposed to survive away from her. They might have to sneak her into Hogsmeade. Regardless, those were worries for later. Now, he needed to focus on his bondmate's deranged need to risk her life on a regular basis.

"Look, Fred, I just needed to get a few things," she muttered. "And poor Tonks needed to get out of the house a bit."

"What's wrong with her?" Fred asked with concern, looking at the formerly cheerful auror. Hermione bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder.

"I think he's refusing to acknowledge her," she muttered absently. "I think it's killing her."

"Who's _he_?" Fred asked in surprise. Hermione shook her head.

"I wonder if we could convince a male to act as though he were infringing on his territory," she sighed heavily. "But she's not really capable of playing along. Damn Hufflepuff loyalty!"

"I don't think I want to know," Fred said slowly. He turned to Tonks. "Come on, Tonks, we've got to go see George for a minute."

"No, we don't," Hermione said stubbornly, her jaw tightening. Fred rolled his eyes. He leaned down into her face.

"Fine, I'll just tell George that you refused to come see him, shall I?" He bit out angrily. Her eyes widened.

"Well, no, of course not," she said and then sighed. "Fine. Come on, Tonks."

Tonks looked like someone had murdered her puppy, as she wandered listlessly through Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Hermione frowned darkly. This situation was completely unacceptable. She wasn't sure how he was able to resist his mate, how he could refuse to accept her. He didn't look good, but Tonks looked bad. She could feel her anger thrumming inside her. This wasn't right. It was hurting Tonks. It wasn't fair. Hermione saw a display and wandered toward it as though she were in a trance. Love Potions? What if she could convince somebody to help her push him in the right direction? He wouldn't be able to resist an encroachment on his territory. They were extremely territorial. He might try and resist, but his wolf would have an absolute fit. Did she know anybody that she trusted enough to play this the right way? Maybe not. Bill would have, but he was obviously with Fleur. Charlie was in Romania. Sirius was her cousin…ew. Harry and Ron were a bit young. She held the little pink bottle and sighed heavily.

"_Why_ are you trying to give me a heart attack?" George asked darkly near her elbow. Hermione smiled weakly at him.

"I'm not trying to give you a heart attack, or get myself killed, or any of the ridiculous things you people sit around thinking up so that I have to stay home all the time for my own good. I don't know how Sirius did it. I'm ready to bite people." Hermione said indignantly. George frowned at her.

"You aren't biting anyone, unless it's me or Fred," he growled quietly. She rolled her eyes.

"I was trying to draw an analogy between Padfoot and myself," she said flatly.

"Hmph." He grunted. He held his hands close to his sides. He did not play with her hair. He did not pull her against his side and wrap an arm around her waist. He did not rest his hand just above the curve of her ass. He did clench his jaw and attempt to control himself in a crowded store.

"So, what did Fred do? Run and tell on me?" she huffed in irritation. George just looked at her. She sighed and glanced toward Tonks. "You don't happen to know any single men, do you?"

"Excuse me?" George asked angrily, his face livid. She frowned at him.

"For Tonks. I wonder if there's a way to sort of…you know…reboot her," she wondered out loud. George's face relaxed slightly and he frowned as he watched Tonks.

"Spitfire, I don't know if you should try and mess with that. How would you like it if someone tried to alter your bond?" He said quietly. She glared at him.

"My bond has never been denied by my bondmates," she muttered angrily. George smirked.

"Your bondmates aren't stupid, they know a good thing when they see it," he said softly.

"Hmph."

"Come on, you and Tonks are going to use the floo in our flat. Let's go," he muttered and guided her toward the back of the store. Tonks trailed after them, her eyes dull.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

No words were spoken on that last night. No one dared to say anything for fear of crying, and spoiling this last night. Hermione lay awake all night curling up against Fred and then up against George, tracing every line, every freckle. She shed silent tears, tracing her fingertips over Fred's lips—he smiled slightly even in his sleep, which she found incredibly adorable. She brushed the hair off of George's forehead, tracing his jaw. At some point, Fred woke up and started kissing along her jaw. She was wedged between the twins, so every time Fred moved against her or she moved against him, she was pressing firmly against George. That could only go on for so long before George woke up and started adding his lips to the mix. His fingers stroked down her ribcage and over her hips. She wriggled and both Fred and George moaned at the same time, which sent a shiver down her spine. Fred slid his hand down to her knee and hitched her leg over his hip, allowing both twins greater access. They were pressed so tightly against her, she thought she could feel every muscle as it flexed against her skin. She closed her eyes to savor this moment, to memorize it and hold it. She cherished every gasp, every sigh, every low moan.

They couldn't go with her to Hogwarts Express. It was too dangerous. They stood in the kitchen, staring at each other hungrily until Harry gently eased her toward the floo. She looked over her shoulder on the way out of the kitchen to see them staring after her. She sent a wave of love down the bond, and she almost stumbled against Harry at the wave that came back, so strong it almost flooded her senses. She turned to go back to the kitchen, but Harry was still holding her elbow. Sirius, Remus, and Harry took her to the train. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley met them with Ron and Ginny in tow. Harry gave Ron a significant look, and Ron came over to give Hermione a gentle hug.

"It'll be all right, Hermione," Ron muttered into her hair. "It's the twins, for Merlin's sake. Bet they figure out how to sneak into your dorm every week."

"Do you really think so?" Hermione said hopefully, staring into his face with shining eyes.

Ron shrugged and nodded. He'd been fairly uncomfortable with the whole situation in the beginning, but you'd have to be an even bigger idiot than he was to miss how much Hermione was hurting right now. Harry was scanning the crowd suspiciously, his eyes dark and cold. Sirius and Remus were doing much the same, and even his Dad looked a little fierce. Ron realized in surprise that his Mum, Ginny, Hermione and he were in the middle of a loose circle. They were being carefully shepherded toward the train. There were aurors surrounding them in a completely conspicuous way, but Sirius and Harry wouldn't let them get anywhere near Hermione. One of them went to grip Hermione's elbow and Harry glared at him so fiercely, Ron reflexively took a step back, pulling Hermione with him.

"Don't touch her," Harry snapped at the auror, who took an uncertain step back.

The trunks were loaded, and it was time to say good-bye. Sirius hugged Harry tightly and then hugged Hermione just as hard. He held her face and kissed her on the forehead. She knew he would've done the same to Harry, but a teenage boy would probably rather die than have their parental figure offer such public displays of affection in front of their mates. Sirius stared at her for a minute.

"Be safe," he ordered her huskily. "Christmas will come soon enough, and they'll be there waiting for you. All right?"

"I love you, too, Sirius," she said quietly with a sad half-smile. It was true. It was hard not to love Sirius, who threw himself into everything with his whole heart. He and Harry hadn't replaced her parents, her heart still ached sometimes for them. No, Sirius and Harry had claimed their own place in her heart, but it was still family. Something flashed in Sirius' face, and she knew she'd touched him. He let her go, and gave Ron a heart clap on the shoulder. Ginny received a small smile and the brush of his lips on the back of her hand. She blushed under his attention, and Hermione hid a small smile. She'd have to remember to tease Ginny about that later.

"Come on," Harry said impatiently, "Let's go find a compartment."

"We have to put in an appearance at the Prefects' Carriage," Hermione said absently with a small frown, "but I plan on coming to you as soon as possible. Please save me a spot."

"Me too," Ron said with a slightly worried glance at Hermione. Harry nodded and touched his fingertips to her cheek for a minute. He turned around and realized that everyone was staring at them. He flushed slightly and set off down the corridor.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

After the start of the term, most of the gossip was about whether or not Harry really was "the Chosen One" like the Daily Prophet had said. There was also rampant speculation about Dumbledore's shriveled, necrotic arm. Hermione viewed that with no small amount of concern. There were a few students, all purebloods, she noted that seemed to be watching her whenever she was with Harry or Ron. Needless to say, when Ron began his torrid affair with Lavender Brown it caused a mini-uproar in the gossip mills. Students, and teachers, were watching them even more closely. She heard a mutter from Flitwick that sounded somewhat like 'potential', and hid a smile.

"Everyone's going mad trying to figure out what's going on with you lot," Ginny said mildly, playing with her pygmy puff.

"Well, that was the point, wasn't it?" Hermione said dryly. Ginny gave her a wicked smile.

"You know there's a rumor that you and Harry are married, but you're trying to cover it up?" She asked slyly. Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I have enough trouble with the twins. Even if I could without puking on his foot, why would I add another man to the mix?" She demanded.

"No one knows about the twins, they're thinking it's just you and Harry," Ginny explained, that wicked glint back in her eyes. Hermione looked slightly ill.

"Eurgh. What a thought," Hermione said faintly.

"Well, it's sort of your own fault. You two are so close. You're always holding hands, or hugging, or he'll touch your face," Ginny said reasonably, tickling Arnold on his furry tummy.

"But, but," Hermione sputtered, her face slightly pale. "Just because I don't try to hex his balls off on a daily basis doesn't mean he's not my brother."

"Trust me, if you had my brothers, you would. Harry's just not an irritating git the majority of the time. He's quiet, serious, focused. He's never tried to make the toilet explode _while _you're on it. He's never tried to make your nose hair grow in ringlets. Thanks ever so for giving Fred _that_ idea, by the way," Ginny explained matter-of-factly.

"Sorry," Hermione said flushing. "That was sort of an accident, I didn't know he was lurking in the library eavesdropping."

"Ha! That boy spent most of his time at Hogwarts lurking in your vicinity," Ginny said tartly.

"He did?" Hermione said in surprise. Ginny shrugged.

"Well, they both did. That and pranking anything that moved, and most things that didn't," Ginny said fondly. "We miss them on the team, you know. They were damn good beaters."

"I miss them, too," Hermione said softly, staring out the window. Ginny sighed.

"I know you do."


	18. Curses & Christmas

_A/N: Sixth year at Hogwarts._

_I hope that this rewards arabellagrace for her exemplary behavior. ;)_

_Also, when you see italicized text within the story in a block (as opposed to single words for emphasis), it is generally directly quoted from The Sacred Texts i.e. the book we're supposedly working from. Not that we care too much for canon or we wouldn't have Sirius tottering about and Fred and George making with the wild…er, yeah. _

"I think-," Harry began heatedly, but Hermione interrupted him.

"—that Malfoy's up to something, yes, I know," she said absently while studying in the common area of Gryffindor tower. Harry huffed angrily at her.

"Hermione, this is serious! He's probably after you!" Harry was hissing at her as quietly as possible. Hermione closed her book and turned her full attention to her brother.

"Harry, do you _like_ Draco?" She asked him calmly.

"WHAT?" Harry managed to shriek and bellow at the same time. It was rather impressive. "Of course not! How could you even? What's _wrong_ with you?"

"Methinks he doth protest too much," Hermione sang _sotto voce_. Harry glared at her. "Well he's all you ever talk about anymore. If you do, for Merlin's sake go find an empty broom closet and leave me alone. I'm sure Sirius would support whatever life-style you feel comfortable embracing. You know I'll be there for you."

"I do _not_ like Malfoy in that way. I don't like _any_ blokes in that way. I like, er, never mind," he muttered under his breath. Hermione hid a smile and opened her book again.

"Malfoy's not after me. And if he is, I'll just see if he can juggle," she said serenely.

"Juggle?" Harry frowned at her. Hermione raised a brow at him.

"Yes, juggle. Maybe he can juggle fire balls?" She explained. Harry smirked.

"I'd almost like to see that," he said half to himself. Hermione smiled widely.

"I almost would as well, except the strain on the bond would frighten the hell out of…," she glanced around the common area. "Well, you know."

"He's been acting very odd, lately," Harry muttered to himself. Hermione sighed heavily.

"I've always been partial to June Weddings, myself," she said sarcastically. Harry glared at her, but shut up about Draco Malfoy.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"You know it was meant for you," Harry was muttering under his breath. "It's a bleeding necklace, Hermione, and you're a girl. Surely you don't think Dumbledore is going to sashay down the halls in an opal and silver necklace."

"It might have been for you," Hermione said uncertainly. Harry glared at her.

"Right, because I'm always running about dripping in jewelry," he said tartly. Hermione bit her lip. "Love, I have to tell them. If I don't, we'll have the lot breathing fire at the gates."

"Fine. Write the stupid letters," Hermione groused. She couldn't really argue with Harry's logic this time. She was a girl and it was a necklace; a very pretty necklace, except for the fact that it was cursed and could kill her.

Sirius was storming through Hogwarts within an hour, his face frightening in the intensity of his rage. Hermione and Harry were at dinner and both of them stood up to greet their guardian. He looked searchingly at Hermione for a moment and then turned to Harry who shook his head slightly. Sirius relaxed marginally, but he was still in a towering rage. He ushered them out of the Great Hall and found an empty classroom to talk to them in.

"You're sure she's okay," Sirius asked Harry. Hermione growled at them.

"I am right here," she snapped. "Feel free to include me in this conversation _about me_. I'm just dandy, thank you for asking."

"Hermione," Sirius said quietly. "This is deadly business. Someone was meant to be killed. I've seen necklaces like those. Hell, we've probably _got_ necklaces like that. They're meant to kill. That this one didn't is pure dumb luck."

"It's not a given that it was _me_," she insisted. Then she gasped as fear/rage overwhelmed the bond and made her knees weak for a minute. She leaned heavily against Harry and took a couple deep breaths.

"Ah, I see Remus gave the twins the news. I wanted a head start," Sirius said in aside to Harry who nodded as though that were entirely reasonable. Hermione's lips pursed and she looked through narrowed eyes at her guardian.

"They're going to throttle you," she stated. He grinned.

"They can try," he said cheerfully.

That night Hermione was awakened by a hand over her mouth. She blinked and stared up at George. She licked his hand.

"Ew! Do you do that to all your would-be attackers?" He asked in irritation. She shrugged.

"No, but remember, I _always_ know where you are," she whispered back. Fred moved next to George, and stroked her cheek with a finger.

"You're all right, spitfire?" Fred demanded in a fierce whisper. She nodded.

"I truly am," she whispered back. Then she flung herself into George's arms and clung to him. Fred and George held her tightly between them. "You can't be found here."

"Don't plan on it, love," Fred whispered against her throat.

They dragged her off to the Room of Requirement and made passionate love to her, and then shagged her rotten, and then made love to her again. They were gone in the morning, but she ached deliciously so it felt a little bit like they were still with her. She made it down to breakfast with a small smile to find a frantic Harry and an equally frantic Sirius. Until the older man saw the smile that wouldn't leave her mouth and the relaxed way she held herself. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"So you were well guarded all night, I take it?" he said dryly. She smiled at him.

"Yes, yes I was."

"Hermione, I was frantic," Harry said angrily waving a hand. "I thought…I thought something had happened."

"Fred and George came to check on me," she whispered as quietly as she could. His eyes grew large and he blushed.

"Oh. Well. All right then." He muttered.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"They're going to flip out, what on earth were you thinking?" Ginny demanded, scandalized beyond belief.

"Your idiot brother Ron was supposed to escort me," Hermione hissed in irritation. "But Won-Won can't bear to upset his precious Lav-Lav."

"He doesn't _really_ call her that, does he?" Ginny asked, disgusted. Hermione shook her head.

"That's what Harry and I call her when we talk about them. She _does _call him Won-Won." Hermione explained quietly. Ginny shuddered and made a face.

"Still, McLaggen _wants_ you. He's going to try something, you have to know that," Ginny said urgently. Hermione smiled serenely.

"That would be almost amusing. Does the idiot man not realize that Harry alone would cheerfully tear him limb from limb?" She said with a giggle, glad that the twins weren't here this year. They were a bit young for Azkaban.

"I doubt his kind cares," Ginny said darkly. "Be careful, I've heard rumors."

"What sorts of rumors?" Hermione asked with a frown. Ginny shrugged.

"Mostly that he's grabby, and he doesn't listen well." Ginny said flatly. Hermione blinked in surprise.

"Oh, dear," she murmured, frowning. Ginny blanched.

"Hermione Gr-er, Potter, what the hell did you do?" Ginny demanded. Hermione wrung her hands.

"Well, I brought dress robes, just in case, I mean I wasn't sure what all we might have come up, but when I bought the dresses I was thinking about the twins…er, they were with me that day…they picked the dress, actually," Hermione was rambling and turning pinker with every word. Ginny's jaw dropped open and she blushed.

"Are you saying, that you-and my brothers? I am never shopping at Madam Malkin's ever again," Ginny muttered darkly. Hermione blushed a deep, deep red.

"I'm mostly worried about the dress," Hermione said anxiously. Ginny stared at her.

"What did they pick?" She asked with a sort of horrified curiosity.

"It's, er, rather daring," Hermione said quietly. Ginny groaned.

"Cormac's going to think you're doing it for him! Circe's bangles!" Ginny flung herself back on the bed and moaned slightly.

The night of Slughorn's party, Cormac's eyes flared when he saw her. Hermione felt nausea rise in her when he strutted over to her and put his arm about her waist. Harry tried to glare furiously at Cormac, but he was oblivious. Her dress robes, which the twins had chosen for her, emphasized all her curves and left nothing to the imagination. She looked beautiful, but also, as Fred had so charmingly put it 'imminently fuckable'. In a word, Hermione looked hot, and she was on a reluctant date with an enthusiastic octopus that couldn't take an elbow to the ribs as no.

Unfortunately, Slughorn, the tosser, had placed mistletoe liberally about. Cormac had leered at her and pointed upwards, that was her only warning before the bastard started pawing her and shoving his tongue down her throat. She panicked and tried to pull away, but his arms were like a vise grip. Bile was rising in her throat and she frantically tried to escape his lips, but he held her tightly. A well placed heel earned her respite and she fled through the crowd seeking freedom.

_"__Hermione! Hermione!"_

_"__Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, Luna!"_

_"__What's happened to you?" asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly dishevelled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devil's Snare._

_"__Oh, I've just escaped — I mean, I've just left Cormac," she said. "Under the mistletoe," she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her._

_"__Serves you right for coming with him," he told her severely._

"Ron was _supposed _to be my date, if you recall," Hermione said coldly. Harry had the grace to flush.

"Well, that's true," he murmured to himself.

Hermione kissed his cheek, talked to Luna for several minutes, and then narrowly escaped a circling Cormac. Harry tried glaring at McLaggen and completely shut him down, but the idiot was oblivious. Hermione fled into the crowd, and Harry had the feeling that she might slip out of the party all together. Merlin knew, she wouldn't want a good night kiss from McLaggen.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

To say that Fred and George were less than pleased would have been an understatement of incredible proportions.

_"__And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald," said George, "what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called — unless our information is faulty — Lavender Brown?"_

_Ron turned a little pink, but did not look displeased as he turned back to the sprouts._

_"__Mind your own business."_

_"__What a snappy retort," said Fred. "I really don't know how you think of them. No, what we wanted to know was… how did it happen?"_

_"__What d'you mean?"_

_"__Did she have an accident or something?"_

_"__What?"_

_"__Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful, now!"_

When Mrs. Weasley had left the kitchen, Fred and George suddenly became a great deal more menacing.

"Just wondering why you felt it necessary to leave our spitfire alone and defenseless, so that she could be ravaged under the mistletoe by McLaggen?" Fred asked coldly, a certain glint in his eye. Ron blushed.

"Er, about that," he muttered. "Sorry."

"And, now, because bloody Tonks was going to be all by her bleeding self, she's refused to come to the Burrow," George practically snarled at him.

"Well, that bit's not _my _fault!" Ron complained. "I can't help what Tonks is doing for her holiday!"

"Still, little brother," Fred said quietly as he leaned very close to Ron's face. "We'd like a word. Harry, if you'll excuse us."

Hermione insisted on celebrating Christmas at Grimmauld Place, but she practically shoved Harry and Sirius out the door and sent them to the Burrow. When Tonks arrived at Grimmauld Place, Hermione made her take a long, hot bath, fed her chocolate and they both shared a bottle of wine. Tonks looked even worse than she had before. Hermione wanted to beat his stupid head into the floor until he woke up and realized what he was doing. She wasn't sure if Sirius realized what was going on. He had to, right? Why wasn't he doing anything about this? Tonks was family, damnit. Okay, maybe that stupid bastard was family, too, but still. Hermione bit her lip nervously and wrung her hands nervously.

"I…I can make it not hurt, if you want," Hermione said softly, trying to gauge what Tonks' reaction might be. Tonks blinked at her and frowned.

"What, like take it away?" She asked with a dark frown. Hermione shook her head.

"No! No, I wouldn't do that. It's just, I can make it not hurt quite as much. You'd be able to eat and sleep, at least." Hermione said softly. Tonks shrugged.

"I don't know, Hermione," she said quietly. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Okay," Hermione said with a sigh. "I just…I wanted to offer. Fred and George told me not to mess with anything, but…you're in so much pain. It's hard for me to ignore it."

"Thank you, Hermione," Tonks said softly. "I think you might be one of the few people who understands my situation."

"Ah, and I've just figured out how to ratchet up the tension," Hermione muttered to herself. She ran out of the room, and not long after Tonks could hear an owl leaving.

"Happy fucking Christmas, George," Fred muttered, glaring at the letter in his hands. George read the letter over his brother's shoulder and glared at the scrap of parchment. They sulked their way through dinner and dessert and spent much of their time glaring at Remus who seemed mildly surprised. When Harry was dragged outside by Scrimgour he leaned towards them.

"Look, is there a problem?" Remus asked curiously. Their glares darkened.

"Yeah, there is," George said in an ugly voice. Remus blinked in surprise. Sirius frowned and leaned over toward them.

"What is going on?" he hissed at them. Fred shot him a dirty look.

"We're spending the night _here_," Fred growled at the two older men. Both men's lips twitched slightly.

"Look, if you've upset Hermione, that's not Remus' fault," Sirius pointed out. George made a rude noise.

"We haven't done a damn thing," George said coldly. "Our bondmate is a caring, considerate woman who feels sorry for other people whose bondmates are incredibly stupid and stubborn to boot."

"She reckons Tonks is dying," Fred said icily, glaring at Remus who paled slightly. "And she won't hear of leaving her alone."

"Wait, my cousin has bonded to someone?" Sirius said in surprise. Fred and George just looked at him as though they expected better of him. Sirius started and then turned to glare at his friend.

"What the hell have you done to my cousin?" He hissed across the table at Remus.

"Nothing!" Remus shot back angrily. "I haven't touched her!"

"That's the point, you wanker," Fred said angrily. "You're refusing to acknowledge the bond."

"We would _never_ have done that to Hermione. Do you know how much you're hurting her? How can you even stand it?" George demanded in a whisper, his face full of anger. Remus tried to argue but the twins shot him down completely.

"You're refusing the bond, you idiot," Fred said succinctly. "_You_ have the extra reserves of strength. She doesn't. Hermione thinks you're killing her. She's not at all happy with you at the moment. As near as we can figure, she's looking for a single man so she could try and rewire Tonks. She thinks maybe she can shift her side of the bond so that Tonks can at least stop suffering."

"You can't, she can't," Remus seemed to sputter for a moment, and his eyes shifted to amber for a split second. He stood up abruptly. "I have to go."

"You realize he's going to my house, probably to rip my god-daughter limb from limb for attempting to take away his mate?" Sirius asked quietly. Fred and George grinned at one another and then looked at him.

"Can he juggle?"


	19. Bonds and Bezoars

_A/N: Sixth year. _

_I just want to say…thanks. Your responses have been sort of overwhelming. I used to be so jealous of those other authors with their ridiculous numbers of reviews, and now you've made me one of them. :does happy dance: It's weird, but now I only want to write HP fanfic. Maybe it's because you're such a vocal community. I think that's it. Anyway, thank you to everyone who's made this a favorite or reviewed it or 'commented' (what is up with *that* fan fic dot com?), or what have you. You guys rock. _

Hermione was humming absently in the kitchen when she heard the door hit the wall. She grinned to herself and glanced idly at Tonks who was shredding a napkin listlessly. He moved rapidly and was standing in the kitchen doorway looking from Tonks to her, his eyes scanning them before he turned to look at her. She frowned, looking into his brown eyes with their strange flecks of gray, and sighed.

"Leave," she said coldly. "I don't want you hurting her anymore."

"Are you really trying to do what they said?" He asked, frowning at Tonks and then looking to Hermione. She glared at him.

"Why not? You're not acknowledging her. She's obviously not doing well. Any idiot could see how much she's suffering," She snapped. Tonks stirred.

"Hermione," Tonks said quietly. Hermione's eyes softened for a moment when she looked at the auror.

"It's the truth, Tonks," Hermione said flatly. Tonks shrugged and nodded slightly, a tear coursing down her cheek. He tried to move closer to them, but he hit an invisible wall. He stiffened.

"What is this?" He demanded, his voice angry. Hermione smiled serenely.

"I'm not letting you near her. You don't get to hurt her anymore," Hermione said calmly. He snarled at the barrier and his eyes had turned amber. Hermione smiled at that. Good. She needed _him_ to throw his support in, too.

"You cannot keep her from me," he snarled at her, enraged that she would dare to do so. "She is mine!"

"Well, you've been letting him keep her from you," Hermione snapped in irritation, "and you didn't do anything about that!"

"He is stubborn," the amber eyed man seethed, scrabbling against the magical wall between them, "and occasionally stupid."

"You'll get no argument from me," Hermione sniffed indignantly. "He's hurt her terribly. He's let her waste away. He's trying to kill her."

"He is not!" The amber eyes were affronted. "He didn't realize…"

"That rejecting a bond can seriously injure all parties? Surely, he's not that stupid," Hermione scoffed derisively.

"He thought he was being noble," He almost spat the word out. Hermione snorted.

"Yes, because letting your bonded die from the pain of you rejecting the bond is so terribly noble," Hermione sneered at him, goading the wolf. He snarled again, trying to punch through the wall of magic.

"Let me in!" He bellowed at her. Her lips curved into a smile.

"If I let you in, are you going to claim her? Mark her? Make sure that your stupid noble side can do nothing but accept the bond and make his bonded happy?" Hermione demanded, her hands on her hips. He snarled at her again, his amber eyes flashing at her. She looked at Tonks who was watching him with wide eyes.

"Yes! I want her, need her. I will never let him let her go, I swear, just let me in!" He was pushing on the wall. It was futile, but it was fun to watch. Tonks was watching him with an uncertain look in her eyes.

"He won't hurt you," Hermione told her softly. Tonks turned her eyes to stare at Hermione. "He may be…er…enthusiastic, but he won't hurt you."

"They…he…which one is," Tonks looked confused.

"It's all him," Hermione said softly. "Imagine that Remus is the conscious mind and that _he_ is the subconscious...the id, for lack of a better word. He is the baser nature, the animal side. It's just that for Remus that's all a little bit more literal than it is for most people. You are his bonded, it's just that he's sort of arguing with himself."

"But…_he_ is done arguing?" Tonks asked breathlessly, staring at the amber eyed man who was frantically trying to get to her.

"I sure as hell hope so," Hermione muttered. Tonks smiled faintly. The first smile Hermione had seen in a very long time.

"Good," Tonks said softly. Hermione dispelled the wall with a thought and he stumbled and fell to his knees. Tonks hurried to him, to make sure that he was okay and he snatched her and pushed her behind him. He crouched on the floor, glaring at Hermione.

"You can NOT take her away from me!" He snarled at her. Hermione lifted her hands palms up.

"If you claim her, I won't," Hermione promised. He whirled, grabbed Tonks, hauled her into his arms, and carried her up the stairs.

She smiled in satisfaction and sat down to finish her Christmas wine. Soon, the somewhat loud sounds of Moony claiming his mate echoed down the stairs and Hermione grinned and hummed happily to herself. She grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote a quick note to the twins. She still had time to give them a very happy Christmas.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Malfoy is—"

"—up to something, yes," Hermione said as she flipped between two separate books, comparing information. "Do you suppose he's cheating on you? I know that you said he would respect you in the morning, but obviously he's a bit of a tosser. I think you should break it off."

"I hate you," Harry growled at her. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Nope. You love me." She said in a syrupy sweet voice that drew several glances. Harry flushed.

"You still can't be trying to say that he's not after you? What about the necklace?" Harry hissed urgently at her. Hermione glanced around the library and then looked at her brother.

"There was never any proof that it was Malfoy," she whispered back. "McGonagall and Dumbledore said so. Come on, Harry. Just drop it."

"I can't do that," he muttered darkly. Hermione sighed heavily.

When they were standing in the hospital wing, staring at a poisoned Ron, listening to Fred and George speculate wildly, Hermione was watching Harry. He was arguing with the twins about who might have been the victim, but there was no way that he might suggest that it was her. She hadn't been anywhere near them. The poison must have been meant for either Harry or Ron. Well, crap. Maybe Harry was right, but she didn't want to believe that. Or rather, she couldn't. There was something bothering her, niggling at the back of her brain. Truly, if Malfoy wanted her dead, wouldn't he just have done it? He'd have tracked her down to some deserted corner of Hogwarts and had Crabbe and Goyle bash in her head with a brick. He had absolutely no love for her, it would have most likely given him an intense sort of pleasure to remove her from this plane of existence. He certainly wouldn't leave it to these elaborate plans that seemed doomed before they'd begun. Whoever was doing this…it was almost as though they didn't want to whatever it was. It couldn't be Malfoy.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

_Horcruxes_. Harry had told her all about them. When they'd gone home for Easter Hols, Hermione wasn't sure she'd ever seen Sirius so horrified, or so pale. He'd pulled Hermione into the library, and showed her the secret room where the books of the darkest, the…er…blackest magic were hidden. He cautioned her to be extremely careful about touching anything, but he told her that the triad magic should protect her. There were several books on horcruxes and they made Hermione physically ill. It wasn't the books themselves, they weren't bespelled or cursed. No, it was the process involved. It was far more than Harry had understood. It wasn't _just_ killing someone, although Hermione knew from personal experience that that was awful enough on its own. That Voldemort had performed the ritual _seven_ times made her throw up and spend the rest of the day laying in her bed and looking somewhat shaky.

The house was quiet and somber for most of Easter Hols. They saw Remus and Tonks several times, and Tonks had pulled Hermione into a quiet alcove to hug her tightly and thank her the first time she saw her.

"You were right," she whispered with a shy smile. "He's never, ever hurt me, and my acceptance of _him_ has helped make Remus…different, but in a good way."

"He's learning to accept and love himself. All of himself," Hermione said softly, a pleased smile curving her lips. "Good."

"Thank you, Hermione," Tonks whispered. Hermione shook her head.

"For what? Magically hitting your mate upside the head? Anytime he's being an ass, I'll be happy to do so." Hermione whispered back. Tonks suppressed a snicker.

"Yeah, for that."

The rest of Hermione's time was spent studying horcruxes so that she could help Harry destroy them. Fred and George were worried about her, and they didn't like the idea of her anywhere near magic that dark, but they knew that she would ignore whatever they said, if she felt it was important.

"I don't like this George," Fred muttered under his breath while they watched her writing.

"Sounds like it's going to be deadly dangerous," George agreed with a frown.

"She's bound to run off to help him, regardless of what we say," Fred sighed. George shrugged helplessly.

"She's a Gryffindor, and our spitfire. It's who she is," he said finally, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I s'pose that's true. Wouldn't want her any other way," Fred muttered. George smiled fondly.

"No, we wouldn't. She wouldn't be her."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

He'd been wrong. He'd been horribly, spectacularly wrong. Hermione stared ahead of her not looking at anyone. Sirius was on one side of her, and Harry was on the other. She could feel Fred and George behind her, with the rest of the Weasleys, but she didn't dare throw herself in their arms. Not in front of everyone. Not now. Her eyes were dry…Sirius thought it might be shock. He was feeling fairly shocky himself. She laced her fingers with his and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Harry already had a his arm wrapped around her shoulder and Ginny was holding his hand.

Malfoy hadn't been after her at all. He'd been after Dumbledore. Harry felt so guilty, as though he should have known exactly what was going on. Hermione sighed and tugged on the bond for reassurance. Love/sadness/comfort surrounded her and buoyed her through the ceremony. There was a tinge of regret as she looked around in one sweeping glance. From here on in, everything would change. Nothing would ever be the same again. She might die. Anyone might die. Or…or be changed forever, like Bill. She bit her lip and snuck a quick glance at Sirius and at Harry. She could feel Fred and George, their concern at her sudden melancholy. Not them, not her family. She would figure out a way to keep everyone safe—and that meant killing Voldemort. She would do it, if it meant they would be safe. Steely determination flowed through her and she unconsciously lifted her head. Harry's hand tightened on her shoulder and she smiled at him. He saw the look in her eye and nodded slightly.


	20. Coming of Age

_A/N: Okay, summer between sixth year and the seventh year that never was. (We're almost there.) One or two kind people mentioned what comes 'after'. Are you interested in that? We can go there, but I warn you right now that I have a serious 'happy ending' problem. _

_**General Housekeeping:**__ There are these mythical, magical beings called betas. I think I want one, but I'm not sure how one acquires such a being. Do you need to lure them with chocolate? Or virgins? Or a fairy circle in the woods under a full moon? Anyhow, if anyone could suggest courting etiquette for attracting a beta, let me know. I'd hate to offend somebody by not properly following the normal customs. (It isn't for this story, which was supposed to be for fun—it's for a story that's a little more sweeping that is trying to trundle towards 'epic'.)_

"We're going with you, hope you know that," George said from his place on the couch, tugging at the bandage wrapped around his head. Hermione smacked his hand away and smoothed the bandage.

"I know," she murmured, tracing the line of his jaw with a finger.

"What, you're not even going to try and stop us?" Fred asked in surprise.

"No, not really. We're stronger when we're together, and I think we might actually be able to destroy the horcruxes with triad magic. That was the point of all the books that started appearing everywhere, wasn't it?" Hermione said dryly.

"I have no idea what you mean—"

"—we certainly weren't leaving books about."

"What sort of deranged git—"

"—goes about flinging tomes around."

"I thought it was sort of cute," Hermione said with a small smile. Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Cute?" They said in disgust. "You thought it was _cute_?"

"Incredibly sneaky and slightly wicked?" She offered with the same small smile. They exchanged another look.

"That's a little better," they allowed.

"But of course, that's all irrelevant, since it wasn't you two," Hermione said airily with a wave of her hand. She rose and straightened her robes. "I think I'll just go help your mother. She's a bit high-strung at the moment."

She bent down and kissed George briefly on the lips and then kissed Fred as well, and then sashayed out of the living room, her hips swaying slightly as she walked.

"Blimey! When did she start—"

"Where did she learn—"

The twins managed to get their revenge a couple days later when they were degnoming the lawn for Fleur and Bill's wedding. Bill, Fred, George, Ron and Harry were all shirtless, their muscles gleaming under a fine sheen of sweat. Hermione was staring out the window at the twins with a glazed expression when Ginny came up behind her.

"Could you not drool over them? I can practically hear what you're thinking, and I may need to be obliviated," Ginny said with some distaste. Then she caught sight of Harry's well-muscled back and became silent. Hermione snickered.

"Quidditch. It does a body good," Hermione said cheerfully.

"I think every home should have gnomes," Ginny said thoughtfully, watching the muscles in Harry's biceps flex as he flung a gnome. "And a Quidditch pitch."

"I agree," Hermione said. "Number 12 Grimmauld Place seriously needs a yard and some gnomes. Can you imagine Sirius, Remus, Harry and the twins all shirtless? I think I'd make them degnome the yard twice a day."

"I was with you until you threw in the twins," Ginny grimaced. "Sirius? He's your godfather!"

"Oh, he totally is. I don't want to shag him, or even snog him. I just like looking at his chest." Hermione said honestly with a shrug. "I have a dead sexy bunch of men at my house. Just because I'm madly in love with those two doesn't mean I don't admire the view."

"When do you see his chest?" Ginny asked irritably. She'd been to visit loads of times and had never seen a half-dressed Sirius.

"Constantly. In the morning, when he comes down to eat. In the hall, when he comes out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. In the evening, when I sneak down to the kitchen to eat leftover dessert," Hermione listed carefully. Ginny frowned.

"Remus is pretty easy on the eyes, too. Although he and Tonks are pretty busy together so I rarely see them. She's pregnant, did you know? Deliriously happy. Moony's done an excellent job of keeping Remus in line." Hermione said in satisfaction. Ginny snorted.

"'Course he is. Probably convinced you'd actually figure out how to sever the bond and take her away from him." Ginny pointed out.

"I would have, too, but Fred and George threw a fit," she muttered sourly. Ginny laughed and Hermione shot her a look.

"Oh, but it's priceless! _Fred and George_ are keeping you on the straight and narrow!" Ginny dissolved in a fit of giggles and Hermione sighed heavily.

"What are you two doing?" Mrs. Weasley said sharply. Both girls whirled around and looked at Mrs. Weasley with too-wide, innocent eyes.

"Nothing, Mum," Ginny said faintly. "We, er, came to get a glass of water."

"Hmph. I need your help in the other room," she said sourly. Hermione and Ginny each took a longing look out the kitchen window and then followed Mrs. Weasley into the living room.

That night they had a large family dinner outside, which included Sirius, Harry, Hermione, Remus and Tonks. Hermione was firmly wedged between Fred and George who were doing their best to drive her mad. Nothing that their Mum could see, and call them on—oh no, they were too smart for that…the devious bastards. Sirius was stuck next to Fleur and he had a long-suffering expression on his face that seemed to bemuse Fleur and sent Hermione and Ginny into random fits of giggles. She was babbling at him in rapid-fire French and he was answering her monosyllabically.

"Non."

"Oui."

"Quel Dommage."

"Peut-être."

He glanced at his god-daughter at one point and shot her a dirty look whilst she was mid-giggle fit. She straightened up and attempted a more dignified mien, but Ginny rolled her eyes and then she was giggling again. Fred and George took pity on him, and attempted to engage him in a conversation about Quidditch, which he jumped in to whole-heartedly. Fleur pouted slightly and tried to engage Harry in conversation, but he was engrossed in the Quidditch talk. Hermione hid a smile and listened with half an ear to an active discussion about Wales' chances this year in the World Cup. Fred's fingers were stroking the bare skin of her inner thigh, his hand hidden under the skirt of her sundress. He traced lazy circles; the calluses of his fingers making her hair stand on end. George was leaning forward to actively participate and used that as an excuse to breathe against her neck, while his fingers innocently traced circles on the inside of her arm. His movements mirrored Fred's to the point where she thought perhaps they had synchronized their movements. Her breath came in little pants, which she was valiantly trying to control, but the smirks on the twins' faces indicated she was failing miserably.

"Are you feeling well, Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a frown, looking at her flushed face and dilated eyes. She made a feeble sort of noise and looked at the twins with glassy eyes.

"You know, Mum-"

"-she hasn't been feeling too well."

"Maybe we should take her in the house—"

"—let her have a bit of a lie down."

The twins managed to look concerned, and slightly worried. Mrs. Weasley frowned a little more.

"Perhaps you two should take her inside," she said glancing toward Fleur, and thinking of the impending wedding. "You don't suppose it's catching, do you?"

"No, Mum," Fred said with a shake of his head. "She's been practicing the…er…well, you know, and it really takes it out of her."

There was an unspoken rule at the Burrow that they never said out loud anything about triads, triad magic or the greater battle magics. Molly Weasley was terrified that her sons, and her daughter-in-law's safety might somehow be compromised by saying the words out loud. Fred wasn't quite sure if Fleur knew what they were, or not.

"Very well, Hermione, dear, there is some Pepper-Up potion in the kitchen cupboard, but you need to make sure that you rest. You mustn't overexert yourself," Mrs. Weasley said with motherly concern. Hermione smiled weakly.

"Yes ma'am," she managed to whisper as Fred and George hustled her from the table.

They stumbled into the house and George had her pressed up against the wall on the stairs, his mouth plundering hers with reckless abandon. He nibbled on her ears, and trailed hot kisses down her neck. Fred was on his knees in front of her, the skirt of her dress pushed up to her waist his teeth nibbling up the inside of her thigh. She whimpered.

"All right, spitfire?"

"We're going to be caught," she managed to get out.

"It's possible," Fred drawled, breathing on the sensitive skin of her thigh. Her eyes rolled back slightly. She gave a breathy moan. Fred and George straightened up and looked at one another.

"Perhaps we ought to relocate," George said thoughtfully. Fred nodded.

"Excellent idea."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Harry's 17th birthday party was just family, but that was enough to pack number 12 Grimmauld Place with people. Mrs. Weasley had insisted on making his birthday cake, but in return Sirius insisted on something else. He slid a box across to Harry, a grave expression on his face. Remus sat next to him, and both men seemed to have slightly sad smiles.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Sirius said softly. Harry opened the box and stared at its contents.

"It's wizarding tradition that a man's coming of age present is a watch. This one was your dad's, and his dad's before him. I know he wanted you to have it…we talked about it once," Sirius voice was quiet and slightly strained.

Harry felt tears pricking his eyes and he blinked them away rapidly. The only thing he had of his father's was the Invisibility cloak, and it wasn't the sort of thing a bloke could show just anyone. This though, this had been his dad's. Remus and Sirius gave him tight, back pounding hugs that were meant to cover up their strong emotions, and fooled no one. Hermione hugged him and kissed his cheek, and then hugged Sirius as well. Tonks came and sat on Remus' lap, her baby bump just barely showing. Hermione grinned at her, and Tonks returned her smile with a radiantly happy grin. Moony was very protective and territorial about his pup, and Hermione hoped it was enough to keep Remus in line—despite the anti-werewolf bullshit that the Ministry was spewing. Sirius had insisted that Remus and Tonks move into Grimmauld Place because the wards were so strong that they were sure to be protected no matter what. She thought that maybe the love and affection of his best friend and his mate would help keep him balanced and centered.

Harry had almost been late to his own party because apparently the Ministry wanted to talk to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and they couldn't access them due to the prohibitive wards around their home. Hermione smiled a chilling smile that made most of the people at the table shiver. Sirius had had to contact the Ministry in the morning to arrange a meeting with Rufus Scrimgeour. The meeting had been incredibly strange, and at times, he had been astounded by Hermione. She had a set of steel balls on her the size of cantaloupes, that girl. He never would have thought that he would see the day that his best friend and sister would tell off the Minister of Magic himself. Well, he supposed perhaps he should have. If there was one thing Hermione did spectacularly well, it was tell people off when they deserved it. Now, he was the proud owner of his first ever snitch, Hermione had a book of children's stories, and Ron had something rather like a lighter, which didn't.

However, tonight was for Harry, and they would ignore that for the moment. He looked around the table, at all the people who made up his 'family', and he felt an overwhelming rush of love for all of them. This was why they were fighting. This is why they had to stop Voldemort. He sought out a pair of brown eyes that viewed him with a mixture of exasperation and resignation. She knew that he had to do this. He knew that she would do what she thought was necessary as well. She reminded him a little bit of Hermione that way. Not too much like Hermione because then he wouldn't want to press her up against the wall and…well, that was neither here nor there.

"Well, we ought to call it a night," Charlie said with a sly smile at his older brother. "Billy-o here has a big day tomorrow. Be a shame if he couldn't stay awake during the vows. Most likely wouldn't get much of a wedding night if we let him do that."

"Perhaps just one more wouldn't hurt the poor old thing," Fred said with a malicious smile. Bill looked quickly to make sure his Mum and his fiancée were deep in conversation with Tonks and gave his little brothers a rude gesture. George gasped in mock horror and shook his finger at Bill.

"I am _shocked_ at you, William," he said primly.

"Truly, I would think a man of your years would carry himself with more presence and control," George said sadly shaking his head mournfully. Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny.

"We really should go," Mrs. Weasley said from her end of the table. "Happy birthday, Harry, dear."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. Thanks all of you for coming," Harry said with a grin. This was possibly one of the best birthdays he'd ever had, and it was because of everyone in this room. He touched his father's watch and grinned at Hermione who smiled back at him.

_**Translations:**_

_**Non-**__ No._

_**Oui**__- Yes._

_**Quel Dommage**__- What a pity._

_**Peut-être**__- Maybe._

_Okay, next up—the wedding. It's going to get really interesting…mostly because I still can't figure out how I want to handle that. Eurgh. _


	21. A Wedding is a Beginning

_A/N: Wow, so much love for Fred. He says he loves you, too. _

Weddings were a pain in the ass, Fred decided fairly early on in the day. He was glad that Hermione was already well and truly bound to them, and they could skip this crap. When she came downstairs in her lilac gown, Fred almost swallowed his tongue. This dress was nothing like the naughty dress they'd chosen for her. This dress made her seem ethereal, like a delicate celestial being who didn't belong to this world. She had never looked more beautiful. He found himself moving across the room without even knowing it.

"You look incredible," he breathed at her, and he could feel her pleasure echo back to him. She smiled up at him, and he kissed the inside of her wrist.

"You ready?" She asked him breathlessly.

"Always," he murmured, nibbling on her thumb. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Not _that,_ your Mum and Fleur would take turns killing us. No, I mean for after," she clarified, giving him a significant look.

"Oh! Yeah, we both are. How about ickle Ronniekins? Is he ready?" Fred asked her. She rolled her eyes.

"I've packed everything," she said firmly. "Where's George?"

"Mmm. Helping Veela cousins of Fleur's I think," he muttered, breathing in her perfume.

"With what?" She demanded tartly, and he could feel jealousy pulse on the bond. He grinned at her.

"Escape from Ron, I believe," he said flippantly. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he repressed the urge to drag her off somewhere and make her scream his name. "Come on, spitfire, let's go look for poor, lost Georgie."

"No, the wedding's about to start, we need to sit down," Hermione said with a worried frown. He could feel her anxiety. They were supposed to leave after the reception, and Hermione had kept close tabs on the both of them for days. He stroked the back of her neck in an effort to calm her down, and tugged hard on the bond.

"Okay, then, let's sit down," he said with a shrug. George hurried down the aisle looking irritated.

"Sorry," he muttered to Fred and dropped an absent kiss on Hermione's forehead.

"What have you been doing?" Hermione hissed at him. George flushed.

"Escaping a gaggle of Veelas," he said shortly, his face hard. Hermione blinked at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She whispered sharply, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"Exactly what it sounds like," he whispered back. "The fact that Freddie and I are immune to them fascinates them."

At that moment, the wedding began, and Hermione turned her attention away from George to pay attention to the wedding. He watched her face while she watched Gabrielle and Ginny move down the aisle. Her face softened and her eyes shone when Fleur came down the aisle and took Bill's hands in hers. Hermione looked at him with those shining eyes and he felt his heart skip a beat. Then she was turning that molten gaze to Fred and he smiled like a besotted idiot back at her. George felt the same grin on his own lips, so he supposed he couldn't really call him on it. After the wedding, they found a table that Harry and Ron had snagged with Luna. Ron leaned across to them.

"I'd keep an eye out, Krum's here," Ron muttered at the twins who snorted in irritation.

"What's he doing here," George demanded. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"I imagine Fleur's invited him. They were in the Triwizard Competition, weren't they?" She said coolly.

"Look, you're not upset about the Veelas, are you?" George asked in a worried voice.

"No, not at all. I just love the idea of _my_ husband being pawed by a horde of damned Veelas," Hermione hissed at him. George could feel that besotted smile come back, and Fred rolled his eyes at him. Ron snorted.

"Better not let Mum hear you say that," he muttered at her. "She'll have a fit."

"Well, it's the truth," Fred said with a shrug.

"When has the truth ever stopped Mum? You know she'd get her knickers in a twist if you denied her a wedding," Ron asked dryly. Fred and George blinked at him.

"When did Ron get intelligent?" Fred asked in an awed voice. George frowned and tapped his chin.

"That is one of the signs of the end of the world, isn't it?" He asked Luna who smiled at him.

"It might be, depending on how you translate the fifth rune in the tablets of Unger the Blessed," she said solemnly.

"Come on, spitfire, let's dance before Krum shows up and tries to take you away from us," Fred said, holding out a hand. George snorted.

"Like to see him try it," George snapped.

Hermione felt like heaven in Fred's arms as he spun her around the floor. He held her close against his chest and they danced as though they'd been partners for years, which they had been, but they hadn't spent a majority of that time dancing. George took her from him after that, and he watched them move gracefully across the dance space. When Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus Message arrived, he panicked and barreled across the floor to them. Hermione looked disturbingly calm.

"Come on, we've got to go," Fred said frantically. "Where're Ron and Harry?"

"We're fine," Hermione said serenely.

"They're coming!" Fred bellowed over the cries of the panicking guests.

"Let them come," Hermione said with a cool glint in her eyes. Fred paused for a moment and then blushed.

"Oh. Yeah," he muttered. George rolled his eyes at his twin.

"We need to move outside, I have to be able to see what I'm aiming at," Hermione muttered.

As a unit they moved outside, the twins flanking her. They found their own piece of lawn, within the wards, but away from the house. Hermione sank their bond into the earth. She pulled a tiny knife out of her beaded bag and knicked Fred and George's index fingers.

"By the blood of the family, I call you,

By the house that shelters us, I call you,

By the oaths freely given, I call you:

Help us to protect the people and the land,

Give us support while we make our stand."

Everything around them seemed to give off a faint glow. Hermione pulled on the bond and power flooded into the triad. She smiled triumphantly to herself and began to mutter under her breath. Soon she was holding what looked like a lightning bolt. She passed it off to Fred, and quickly made one for George.

"Throw them at anyone who attempts to attack the wards," she said tersely, still crafting lightning bolts as quickly as she could. "They have to be actively attacking the house, the land, or the family."

The twins could feel the power crackling in their palms. The lightning bolts didn't hurt to hold, but they were itchy and uncomfortable. Fred aimed carefully at a flying Death Eater and grinned when he hit his mark. Apparently beater skills were handy for a triad. They worked as quickly as they could, Hermione crafting the bolts and Fred and George aiming carefully and throwing them. The Death Eaters had not been expecting this sort of response. They were quickly decimated and the remainder were thrown into a panic. George supposed it didn't help when Hermione levitated into the air and started flinging fireballs at those Death Eaters who just weren't getting the message. She took the rest of the power that was flooding their bond and she used it to reinforce the family's wards. She gently pulled back the bond, and floated down to the twins, who caught her firmly and pulled her in to them. She was exhausted, and they carried her into the Burrow.

"Hopefully, they get the message," she murmured yawning into George's chest.

"What message is that?" Fred asked her with a slight smile.

"Don't fuck with the Weasleys," she murmured, and then fell asleep in George's arms.

"It's a good message."

"I like it."

"Wonder if we could sell shirts with that on them?"

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"I don't see why you can't stay here and plan," Sirius growled in frustration.

"We need to keep moving, keep them guessing," Harry said flatly. "Right now Voldemort's got a hard on for them, and we can't risk them falling into his hands."

"That's a revolting visual," Fred said with a look of distaste. George was busy patting Hermione's back as she choked on her tea and glared at her brother.

"Really, Harry!" She snapped.

"You lot need to work with the Order. Coordinate with McGonagal. She's going to need you two. Merlin's saggy Y-fronts, look who she's got as the damn Headmaster," Harry waved the paper in frustration. Remus glowered at Snape's picture and shot a look at Sirius who sighed and sunk into his chair, defeated.

"Fine," he muttered. "Go, save the world, but if you get yourselves killed, I'll bring you back and kill you myself."

"We love you, too, Sirius," Hermione said with a warm smile for her guardian. He growled at her and stomped off towards the library. Remus sighed.

"He'll be fine," he said softly. "But you should go soon. He's anxious, and it'll just get worse."

It had taken them awhile to figure out why Kreacher wouldn't tell them what they needed to know about the locket Regulus had tasked him with destroying. His beloved Master Regulus had ordered him not to say anything to the family. So Sirius had had to order Kreacher to tell Harry what he needed to know, and then had to leave so that Kreacher would be able to reveal his late master's secrets without any of the Black family present. Hermione had been drumming her fingers impatiently at that point, and Fred had captured them.

Now they were ready to leave. No more excuses. Now it was time to leave, to fight, to destroy Voldemort. Hermione was a little bit afraid, but who wouldn't be? They—Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George—knew what had happened to the locket. This information they had also managed to keep from Sirius. They were going to break into the Ministry of Magic. Fred and George were excited. They thought this was possibly the best prank ever. Hermione wondered if she were too young to acquire a drinking problem.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The locket taunted them. They kept moving from place to place, and Harry and Hermione sat with their heads bent close together trying to figure out how to open it. At first, Harry had wanted to wear the locket, to keep it close so that it might not be lost, but its dark magic wore at him, and began to affect him. Hermione realized that the triad bond protected her, and the twins, to a degree, and they ended up with the dubious honor of wearing the necklace. That didn't stop Ron from whinging on a regular basis about everything.

"Mum could make delicious food appear out of thin air," he muttered mutinously one day. George looked at him with an irritated expression, and Fred snorted in disbelief.

"Thin air? _Thin air_? So I spent most of my childhood peeling huge bowls of sprouts and potatoes for shits and giggles, then? I wish I'd known," George said to his brother in disgust.

"You can't make food out of thin air, you wanker," Fred snapped. "It's the first exception to Gamp's Laws of Transfiguration."

"How do you know Gamp's Laws of Transfiguration?" Hermione asked curiously. Fred just looked at her.

"Love, we're pranksters, not stupid," he said with a small amount of irritation. "Besides, we use a lot of transfiguration for the shop. You'd be surprised."

"I never meant to imply that you were stupid," Hermione said in a small voice. "I was just surprised to hear you spout off like that."

"Well, Ron would bring it out in anyone, I suppose," Fred said with a heavy sigh and another dirty look for his little brother.

"I just thought there'd be something _more_, you know?" Ron said petulantly, kicking a rock.

"More than what?" Harry demanded irritably. Hermione frowned.

"Ron, Sirius gave us full access to the most horrible books his family owned. There were several books on horcruxes, and one of them mentioned triad magic as a defense. We," and here she motioned from herself to the twins, "can destroy the locket once Harry figures out how to open it. We just have to figure out what Voldemort would have chosen for the other horcruxes and where he would have hidden them, yeah?"

"Well, I thought he would have had an idea already, or Dumbledore would have confided in him, you know?" Ron wasn't listening to reason at the moment, and Harry was starting to get red in the face.

"I'm sorry that I'm not omniscient," Harry snapped. "I don't know everything, Ron, and neither did Dumbledore. We're just men, human beings."

Hermione couldn't listen anymore. This was too painful. She buried her face in Fred's chest and clung to him desperately. Harry stalked into the tent and refused to come out. George looked angrier than she'd ever seen him—except maybe when Percy abandoned their family. She lifted her head and stared at George.

"He didn't leave?" She whispered, shocked.

George turned away from her and refused to look at her, ashamed for his brother. She could feel the pain/shame/embarrassment throb through the bond at her. She ran to the edge of the wards and called for him. He was still her friend, even if he was an idiot. The crack of disapparation was like a slap in her face. She crumpled to the ground and started to cry. Arms lifted her and swung her up against a solid chest. It was Fred, and his jaw was clenched so tightly she thought it might shatter. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. His arms tightened around her reflexively. He let her down inside the tent and she went to Harry. She put her fingertips to his cheek, a brief touch, and he leaned against her hand for a moment. He knew what she was saying: _We're staying, we won't leave you_.


	22. A Rough Guide to Horcrux Hunting

_A/N: This took a while. I thought and thought about it. I know sometimes I seem to skim over the canon, but it's because it's the canon. Everyone already knows it. I, personally, hate it when an entire chapter is basically a rehash of canon because it's not offering me anything new. Sometimes, not even a different perspective (which I'm a lot more tolerant of). I hope that you guys are okay with that. I'm basically trying to add to, or flesh out, not repeat. Also, George was very cranky, and terribly jealous of all the Fred Love. Then Fred teased him about it, and things got pear-shaped. :sigh: How am I supposed to write when things like that are going on?_

No one spoke for days. George and Fred couldn't look at Hermione or Harry, it was as though they were split into two camps: the Weasleys and the Potters. Hermione didn't think that was overly fair of anyone because technically, she was sort of both. She was bound to Fred and George by a marriage bond and bound to Harry by a sibling bond. Regardless, it seemed as though the twins couldn't bear to look at either her or Harry. They all went through their days silently do what needed to be done. At night, Hermione cast a silencing charm around her lonely little bunk and cried herself to sleep. She hadn't had to go to bed without the twins pressed firmly against her in…well…a really, really long time. Months maybe. She knew they weren't mad at her, she knew they didn't hate her, but it didn't help much when she felt so bereft.

Hermione found herself cuddling against Harry, desperate for the reassurance that his touch had always provided. He seemed just as anxious to be near her, to gain whatever meager comfort they were able to offer one another. She wandered outside the tent, but inside the shields. Most of her time was spent focusing on the intricacies of triad magic. Fiendfyre was actually a corruption of much older, elemental magic. Hermione spent much of her time trying to call a tiny, contained version of fiendfyre that could be used to destroy horcruxes. First, she had to make a magical container that could contain the fiendfyre and the horcrux. It took her several weeks, but eventually she managed it. She was incredibly proud of herself, and she ran to tell Harry.

"Harry, I did it!" Her voice was triumphant, her eyes glowing with pride.

"What's that, love?" He asked absently, his nose stuck in one of the books about horcruxes.

"It's a container for fiendfyre, so that we can destroy the locket. Now, have you figured out how to open it?" Hermione explained and set the box next to Harry on a small table.

"I'm working on it," he said with a slight frown. Fred and George looked up from where they were sitting.

"About that," Fred said thoughtfully. Harry and Hermione looked over at them warily.

"Yeah?" Harry asked cautiously.

"The Chamber of Secrets was made by Salazar Slytherin, yeah?" George said slowly. Harry nodded.

"And Tommy-Boy, he was anxious to _be_ the Heir of Slytherin because that validated him or something," Fred continued. Hermione blinked. That was an astute insight into the inner workings of Voldemort's mind—the less crazy bits anyway.

"And the Chamber only opened with parseltongue—we know that. So he's all proud of his ability to use parseltongue because that links him to Slytherin, as well," George added. Harry eyes widened.

"You lot are brilliant! Really, bloody brilliant," Harry breathed at them. Their ears turned pink and they ducked their heads and shrugged.

George handed over the locket, he'd been the one wearing it, and Harry whispered to the locket, opening it. He threw it in the little container that Hermione had made and then she held her hand over the box and muttered something. There was a flash of light, and then a screeching, keening noise. Hermione whooped and then she and Harry were hugging and jumping. Before she knew it, Fred and George were hugging her too, and her skin was tingling at the thrill of their touch.

"Three down, three to go," Hermione said with satisfaction. Then a wide smile split her face. She turned to Harry. "That means we're half-way there!"

"We are, aren't we?" Harry said with the first smile he'd had in forever.

They had a celebratory dinner that night. The twins left for a while and came back with food. Hermione didn't ask where they'd gotten it, and to be frank she didn't care. She knew that they would never take anything from people who couldn't afford to give a little. That night, the twins pulled her outside the tent while Harry slept.

"What is it?" She asked uncertainly.

This was the first time they'd spoken directly to her in weeks. They stared at her, and she recognized that look. The heat in their eyes made her bones feel liquid. She took an uncertain half step toward them and then halted, looking at them through her lashes. She couldn't move any further. She didn't want to be rejected, she didn't think that she could stand that. Fred traced the line of her cheekbone with his knuckles. George's fingers were feather-light tracing over the skin of the inside of her arm. She shuddered involuntarily, and her eyes flared with heat. They moved closer to her, barely touching her, their fingers skimming so lightly over her skin that she wasn't sure if they were actually touching her or not.

"Missed you."

"I've been here the whole time," she said in a soft, breathy voice. They shrugged.

"I-we were ashamed," George said quietly, not looking at her. Hermione reached up and grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at her.

"_You_ didn't do anything. _You_ stayed," she said firmly, her eyes almost glowing, her hair crackling. George's eyes flared and smoldered at her.

"But," Fred began and Hermione pinned him with those eyes of hers. Her love for the both of them blasted through the bond, almost overwhelming the both of them. It ripped through any excuses, any recriminations. Almost as overwhelming was her desperate need for the both of them. Fred's mouth grew dry and his tongue cleft to the roof of his mouth. This woman never failed to make him so hard it was difficult to focus. He closed the space between them and pulled her against him, pressing his lips against hers. He devoured her like a starving man, which, in a way, he was. It had been too long since his tongue had tasted her sweetness, that special taste that only Hermione had. She tasted faintly of the wine they'd 'liberated' for their dinner. He moaned into her mouth, and her fingers threaded into his hair and held him there so that she could return his kisses.

George's hands flexed on her hips, and his fingers dug into her hips, holding her still. His lips had been pressing soft, light kisses along her shoulders, but after she gave a breathy gasp, he started nibbling on the back of her neck, his teeth scraping the skin of her neck. She shivered between them, and turned in their arms. Hermione launched herself at George, her fingers sliding up his shirt, feeling the taut muscles of his chest under the fabric. She pulled him down and kissed him eagerly, her teeth nibbling on his lower lip. Fred enthusiastically ran his hands down her back, cupping her ass, sliding up and around and closing around her breasts. She whimpered into George's mouth, and Fred teased her nipples, pinching and rolling them.

"We're in the middle of the woods," Hermione managed to whisper.

"Uh-huh," they agreed. She was right. They were in a forest.

"We can't…you can't…out in the middle of the woods…I mean," she paused when George's mouth claimed a nipple, and Fred's fingers slid into her knickers. "what do I mean?"

"Dunno."

"Ever been ravished against a tree?"

"Um, no," she said after she managed to get her lips free.

"Ought to change that."

"Damn shame, otherwise."

"Mmmm. Just like that," she gasped into Fred's neck.

"As the lady commands—"

"-so do we obey."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Godric's Hollow had been a complete and total cock-up. Well, it was good for Harry, and it had offered him some closure being able to see his parents graves. The only good-ish thing was that they managed to get a copy of that Rita Skeeter's pile of trash novel _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_. It made all of them angry. Fred and George went out and used a few poor, defenseless trees as target practice.

Hermione was starting to wonder if maybe there was more than one thing in play. Beedle the Bard's stories were odd, and they stayed with her. That funny symbol, the one that had upset Krum—the one that Xenophilius Lovegood had been wearing—was in her book. What did it mean? Was it really Grindelwald's symbol, as Harry had suggested? She wasn't so sure. Beedle the Bard was centuries older than Grindelwald, and the symbol was written above one of this stories—the tale of the three brothers. She disliked the lack of concrete proofs, evidence. It made her edgy and nervous. She frowned and bent her head to study all the harder.

It would have been so much easier if she were still at number 12 Grimmauld Place. Remus was an excellent scholar, and Sirius had an almost scary breadth of knowledge regarding pureblood esoterica and dark magic arcana. She wondered if they were okay, and then told herself that they were, that they must be okay. Just as all of the Weasleys were okay. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees. _Please, let them all be okay_.

When Harry returned to the tent, soaking wet with the sword of Gryffindor and Ron, Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. She settled for giving the idiot a good beating. Fred and George stood back, their arms crossed across their chests, their faces cold and impassive. Everyone moved carefully around Hermione for the next few days. She was angry and upset and her temper was hair-trigger. She spent a lot of time by herself and she read through everything again.

There was no hope for it. They needed to talk to Xenophilius Lovegood.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Perhaps if Hermione had never been part of a triad, she might have discounted the Deathly Hallows as a mere myth. However, she had seen, and was able to do so much more than any other witch or wizard because of her connection to her bondmates. She had suspected that they might need to credit the Deathly Hallows as being more than mere legend. Or, that others at least felt that way. Certainly Dumbledore and Grindelwald had. She didn't believe Voldemort knew—he only understood the legend of the invincible wand. Perhaps it helped, too, that some of the strange, esoteric, occult books that dealt with triads and other multi-bonds tended to mention other rare magical items and beings. It was difficult to read a book which matter-of-factly described aspects of triad magic that she could easily perform, thus proving the book correct, and then discount other rare trivia that was mentioned in the footnotes.

"Wait, did you just say that you're a Questor?" Hermione demanded of Harry, while the three Weasley boys exchanged looks.

"No, no, no! I said it's like a Quest," Harry said impatiently, but Hermione had 'that look' on her face. Her eyes had become unfocused and the wheels in her brain were spinning so fast he could almost hear it.

"Oooh," she breathed in a slightly dreamy voice that had the twins looking at her with odd expressions. "Oh, Harry, that just might work. Let me look up a couple things."

The next day, it was Hermione's turn to collect dinner. She took Harry's invisibility cloak and her beaded bag and set out for the wards. Once she moved through the wards, she apparated to a nearby muggle village. Maybe stealing was wrong, but she tried not to think about it too much, or worry too much. She made sure that every house or cottage she 'borrowed' from, she left with strong protective wards. It seemed the least she could do. She was offering a small piece of herself for what these muggles had unknowingly given her—life. She was in the middle of putting the finishing touches on a protective ward when she felt surprise/anger/indignation with a hint of…fear? Hermione finished the protective wards, and traced the bond. She sent a tendril of uncertainty, sort of an emotional question because they couldn't share thoughts, only emotions. What happened next shocked her. The twins were trying to shove her away from them. Whatever was going on, they didn't want her anywhere near them. She felt a trickle of fear escape George's bond, but it was fear for her. What the hell was going on?

Tracing the bond was harder than it should have been because two men, who might not live if she ever found them, were trying to suppress the bond and block her at the same time. She snorted to herself. Who did they think they were dealing with? Then the fear would trickle into her belly and coil there, taunting her. Why would they block her? Why would they try to shove her away? Unless…the fear tittered to itself in amusement…unless _they _were in danger. She redoubled her efforts. They weren't at the tent. No one was. It looked as though it had been destroyed by a cyclone. They weren't anywhere in the woods. Harry and Ron weren't anywhere about either. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Where were they? Had they been captured by snatchers? Where would snatchers take them?

In the end, pain led her to them. _Someone_ was hurting them, and whoever that was, was going to die. _Malfoy Manor_. She stood there, staring at the imposing edifice, and cold rage filled her and overflowed the bond. The wards of Malfoy Manor were pitiful, and she snickered to herself as she pulled hard on the bond and blasted through them like they were crepe paper. The gate, as a physical representation of the wards, blew apart and landed roughly fifty feet away. A frightened squawk told her that she had disturbed the peacocks. _Oopsie_. She stalked forward, following the bond to her bondmates. She brought her hands up in front of her and blew the doors to the manor open. She smirked to herself and walked up the steps daintily avoiding splintered chunks of wood as she went. She frowned when she came into the manor, moving quickly through the foyer, following the bond. A wave of her hand, and a set of doors opened automatically.

She entered calmly, as though she had not a care in the world. Her gaze swept the room, taking in everything, but it narrowed and stopped on the figure of Bellatrix LeStrange, and lying next to her, its rubies glinting in the light was the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Her lips curled back and she snarled at the insane harpy who was hovering over…over…her world spun for a moment, and she could feel her lungs burning in her chest. Oh, yes. Breathing. She sucked air into her lungs and stood there panting for a moment.

_Fred?_

He lay there, unmoving. She flung out her hand and Bellatrix was flying across the room, hitting the wall, and sliding down it to fall in an undignified heap. She was running then and she threw herself at Fred. Her fingers traced his face lightly. There, her fingers found his faint pulse and tears of relief streamed down her cheeks.

"Fred?" She called urgently.

"SPITFIRE?" George bellowed from somewhere close by, his voice frantic. There was a surge of worry/fear/hope, but it was coming from that somewhere else.

"Right," she murmured to Fred, kissing him on his cool lips. "I'm going to just kill her, and then we'll go."

"You're too late," Bellatrix giggled to herself. She was weaving on her feet. "I've called him. He will be so pleased with me. Harry Potter_ and_ the triad. I shall be first among all of his followers."

"Oh, it's never too late to kill you, you deranged madwoman," Hermione said firmly, pulling herself to her feet.

"SPITFIRE?" George bellowed again, and she could feel his frantic need to get to her.

"It's okay. It'll be fine," she called to him. She heard some sort of crashing noise, and assumed that George wasn't willing to take that for an answer.

When she turned to Bellatrix, her face was implacable. She held her hands our palms facing Bellatrix and she flung fireball after fireball until Bellatrix was a smoking pile of ash. She walked over to it on slightly unsteady legs and snatched Bellatrix's wand. It might come in handy later, and Hermione was the sort of girl who liked to be prepared, come what may.

"HERMIONE," George bellowed again, and Hermione turned toward the sound of his voice.

"Right! Okay then, let's get George. Well, and everyone else," Hermione told the unconscious Fred.

Swords were heavy, she decided as she carefully hefted its weight. She flicked her hand absently, and Fred's body floated obediently behind her and followed her toward her other bondmate. Blasting open the dungeon door was fairly easy, and another fireball took care of Wormtail who had come to see what was happening. George grabbed her and was crushing her against him, crying into her neck. She stroked his back and kissed him and patted his shoulder to get his attention.

"We need to get Fred somewhere safe," she said, motioning to his twin who was still floating behind Hermione. George looked at Fred and then looked at Hermione who shook her head. "He's unconscious, but he's alive."

There were a fair number of people in the dungeons. More than Hermione had actually anticipated. She hugged Luna and Dean, and held onto Harry tightly for a minute after making sure that he was all right.

"Okay, who's well enough to apparate," Hermione asked firmly. They all stared at her.

"We can't. They've got anti-apparation wards in place," Dean explained carefully, as though Hermione were somehow mentally deficient. She smirked.

"They may have had, but they don't anymore," she said firmly. She proved it by apparating a few feet to appear next to George, who pulled her tightly against his side.

"Where can we go that's safe? And not to be pushy, but our favorite Death Eater is on his way," Hermione said, looking directly at Harry who nodded.

"Shell Cottage," Ron said suddenly. George frowned.

"Bill's place? Why there?" George asked in surprise.

"It's either that or Aunt Muriel's place, _you _choose," Ron snapped, his eyes flicking to Fred and then back to George.

"Shell Cottage it is," George said, looking at Fred.

Bill and Fleur were surprised to see everyone arrive on the beach, but Bill's face drained of color as Hermione and George staggered toward the cottage with Fred's supine form floating along behind them.

"He's alive," Hermione said firmly. "We're not letting him go."

"Can you do that?" Bill asked in surprise. Hermione shrugged.

"Not sure, but I'll do it if I have to." She said with a steely glint in her eyes. Bill nodded.

Fred was laid in a bed, and Fleur dumped potions down his throat. Then Hermione, very politely, shoved her out the door and magically locked it. George was sitting next to the bed, staring at his twin, a bereft expression on his face that made it hard for Hermione to breathe. The sadness there, the grief, was physically painful to watch. She sat across from him, on the other side of Fred, and reached for George's hand. George was already holding Fred's hand in his other hand. Hermione copied him so that all three of them were physically linked. Then she dove inside Fred, to see what she could do to heal him and to help him. The books had been very clear: triad magic could cause great destruction, but it could also cause great creation, and great reparation. She soothed the raw nerves that had been damaged by the Cruciatus curse, and she destroyed the curse lingering in his skin where Bellatrix had tried to carve into him a bit. Apparently, 'blood traitor' had been too long for her, 'traitor' had been deemed more appropriate for the available canvas. Hermione felt like throwing up. It was a good thing that Bellatrix was already dead because Hermione was currently wishing that she'd made Bellatrix's death a hell of a lot more painful and drawn out. Well, it was no use crying over spilt milk. Or dead Death Eaters. She found 'Fred', at last curled up and hiding where he thought it was safe. She stroked him gently with a thought, and he uncurled a bit. She felt surprise, and then fear for her safety. She snorted mentally. He did remember what she was, right? She assured him that it was safe, that everything was fine, that George was okay, and he uncurled all the way.

"Hermione?" He croaked at her, his voice raw and ragged.

"And George, too," she croaked back because George was too busy crying. His hands tightened slightly on theirs and then slackened a bit. He was still sore, and still tired. She brushed the hair off his forehead and kissed it.

"You rest. I'm going to go check on Harry. George will stay with you in case you need anything," Hermione whispered to him. She could feel him nod slightly. George kissed her knuckles. She looked at them both. She'd almost lost them, and she felt the fear spiraling up until it threatened to overwhelm her. George frowned at her.

"Stop that," he muttered. "We're fine. As long as we stay together, we're fine."

"Right, Mr. Let's-push-our-bonded-away-from-us-to-save-her-or-something-equally-stupid," Hermione said tartly. George and Fred both flushed.

"That was pretty stupid, now that I look back on it," George said, staring at Fred.

"Exactly. Don't do it again," Hermione growled at them.

"This is probably the wrong time to mention that I've always found it incredibly sexy when you try to order us around," Fred observed from the bed. Hermione sputtered at him for a minute and then turned to George who looked slightly embarrassed.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Hermione left the room and went to find Harry.

She found him talking to Ron in a low, urgent voice. They turned to greet her, and Hermione felt herself grow uneasy at the look in his eyes.

"Right," he said quietly, with a glance toward Bill who was talking to Fleur in the kitchen. "We're going to break into Gringott's."

"We're WHAT?" Hermione demanded, her face paling.

"You heard me, we're going to break into Gringott's. There's gotta be a horcrux in the LeStrange vault. Bellatrix was going spare, thinking that we'd already broken into it."

"Well, we'd better do it now, then, because I've sort of killed her," Hermione said flatly, her lips thinned with distaste.

"You WHAT?" Harry bellowed. Hermione shrugged.

"Well, she tried to kill Sirius, and Fred," Hermione said with a pout. "So I fire-balled her."

"Blimey, Hermione," Ron said in a slightly awed voice. She frowned at him.

"I may have killed Wormtail, too, but he was trying to interfere with Fred and I getting to the dungeon," Hermione said primly, smoothing her sweater.

"Well, Sirius and Remus'll be pissed off about that," Harry said dryly. "They were sort of hoping to get a shot at him."

"Am I a bad person, Harry?" Hermione asked suddenly, nibbling on her lower lip.

"No, love, you were protecting your family. It was self-defense. You're not running around killing people pre-emptively." Harry said firmly.

"I don't feel bad about it. I'm glad they're dead," she confessed, staring at Ron and Harry, begging them to understand.

"You'll feel bad later," Harry said with a shrug. "I know you. Right now, you're just happy your family is safe. Once you're calmed down, and have had time to reflect—then you'll lose it and feel guilty."

"Thanks, Harry…I think," Hermione muttered. Harry smiled at her and gave her a hug.

"Okay, so we need to break into Gringott's immediately. Anything else?" Ron asked lightly, with a grin for the both of them. Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Well, we'll have to steal a horcrux, too, but that's pretty much it," Harry said with a shrug.

"Now, how exactly are we breaking into Gringott's?" Ron asked carefully as though he wasn't sure he'd like the answer. Hermione wasn't sure she was going to like the answer either. She nibbled at her lower lip and stared at Harry. If they were doing this immediately…Fred and George weren't going to be able to come with them, and she was pretty sure that they were going to hate that idea.


	23. In and Out

_A/N: There's a lot going on here. Try not to panic, okay? And George says thanks so much for everyone worrying about whether or not *he* makes it out alive. Assume Gringott's went as the book described. And the bits where Harry is off doing things by himself. Assume he's still doing all that._

"No."

"George, please, we have to do this," Hermione begged him to understand.

"Absolutely not."

"But, Fred, we can't wait. I-I _killed_ her. Someone is bound to notice at some point," She pointed out.

"There's got to be another way, a different plan."

"Just wait a few days, a week, and then we can all go."

"But we can't wait that long. It has to be her; she's the only one who could pull this off!" Hermione argued.

"Who said we were strongest when we were together?"

"Who said we were stupid to try and be separated from each other?"

"I-I did," she whispered. They both glared at her, their chocolate eyes hard with anger. "But, this is a horcrux we're talking about. We have to get it—if we don't destroy all of them, there's no point. It must be done, and it must be done immediately."

"Hermione," George's face crumpled and she had to look away from the pain that was in his face. "When I thought that…you just can't _do _that to us. You can't."

"George, please, don't." Hermione's face became ashen.

"We're going with you," Fred said from his bed. He sat up gingerly, and George steadied him.

"You can't possibly," Hermione said in surprise.

"You did a lot more for me than you realize, spitfire," Fred said firmly.

"Well, let me talk to Harry," Hermione said with a slight frown. "I'm not sure how many we can sneak into Gringott's."

Harry had several concerns. He wanted to keep it to a small, intimate group because they were going to have to go down in the little carts, and those only fit a couple people. He wasn't sure they could do this with everyone. He also knew that they needed all five of them to stay together. Hell. He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in all directions, and frowned darkly out the window.

"We're damned if we do, and damned if we don't," he muttered at last, looking at Hermione, who nodded. "Well, it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission?"

"Not with them," Hermione said flatly.

"Fine, but it's simply impossible to pull this off with that many people," Harry hissed in frustration.

"Okay, so we go and talk to them together, explain the logistics. I'm sure they'll understand," Hermione said faintly, wringing her hands together. Harry put an arm around her shoulder and walked her to the room that Fred was recuperating in.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Fred and George were never going to forgive her. Never ever. This was going to be legendary…no, in this case epic probably actually fit. They were going to compose sagas of Harry the Chosen One and his Noble Companions, and Fred and George were going to be absolutely livid. _They had broken into Gringott's_. Even now, as she scrabbled for purchase on the back of an honest-to-Merlin _dragon_ she was having a hard time dealing with the reality of the situation. She had actually sauntered in, polyjuiced as the late, not-so-great Bellatrix LeStrange, and toddled on down to the LeStrange family vault. Ron was clutching the horcrux for dear life, and she was trying to muffle her sobs. _They're never going to forgive me for this_. She knew them too well. As far as pranks went, this could be considered something in its own class. Something to compare other pranks to. Who escaped a-dragonback? Who did that? The Golden-fucking-Trio, that's who,

"We've got to jump!" Harry yelled over his shoulder. "On my mark, NOW!"

The water was ice cold, and it shocked her system. She sputtered and coughed, and dragged herself out of the lake. At this point, she was functioning on auto-pilot. It was either that, or sit on the beach and rock quietly. She handed out clean clothing and pumpkin juice. Once she was dry, she started to feel better, to feel more like herself. She shuddered and took a deep breath.

_Hermione looked across the lake to the far bank where the dragon was still drinking._

_"What'll happen to it, do you think?" she asked, "Will it be alright?"_

_"You sound like Hagrid," said Ron, "It's a dragon, Hermione, it can look after itself. It's us we need to worry about."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well I don't know how to break this to you," said Ron, "but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts."_

_All three of them started to laugh, and once started, it was difficult to stop. Harry's ribs ached, he felt lightheaded with hunger, but he lay back on the grass beneath the reddening sky and laughed until his throat was raw. "What are we going to do, though?" said Hermione finally, hiccupping herself back to seriousness._

_"He'll know, won't he? You-Know-Who will know we know about his Horcruxes!"_

_"Maybe they'll be too scared to tell him!" said Ron hopefully, "Maybe they'll cover up -"_

Harry fell to his knees and grabbed his head. Hermione and Ron knew all too well what that meant. They clutched at one another and watched Harry, waiting to learn what happening, and hoping that whatever it was wouldn't be too awful. When Harry spoke, Hermione felt terror well up inside her.

"He knows," Harry's voice was low and strained.

"He knows?" Ron's voice cracked. Harry nodded.

"He knows what we've been doing. He's going to start checking where he'd hidden them. I saw him thinking about them. The last one is at Hogwarts. We've got to go, and we've got to do it now. If we wait…" Harry trailed off because all three of them knew what would happen, it wasn't really necessary to explain it in detail.

In that moment, Hermione tried something she'd never done before. She thought really hard about Hogwarts. She pictured the castle in her head as clearly and distinctly as she could. Then she tugged, and sent the twins a burning _need_ for their presence. She felt surprise trickle down the bond, and she sent back determination/resolve. Fred and George knew that that was what she felt like when she was getting ready to fight. She hoped they were able to figure out the rest. _Come to me_. She turned to Harry and bit her lip.

"Let's go," He said firmly, and pulled her toward him. They turned as a group and apparated with a crack underneath the cloak.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Hermione's head was reeling. She wasn't sure that she could take any more revelations about Dumbledore right now. She stared at Aberforth, and she snuck glances at the portrait of their dead sister while she tried to eat the cheese, bread and mead that he'd laid out for them. They were headed into battle; she knew that—even if Harry didn't. He knew there was a war on; he had spoken so eloquently to Aberforth that she'd had to blink back tears. Harry was amazing, and she was so proud of him, but she knew that he thought that battle was not now, not tonight. He thought tonight was only about horcruxes. He might refuse to see what was coming, but she knew. She wondered if it was a triad thing, but she could feel a strange tingling to her senses. It was coming, and it was coming soon. She tugged on the bond frantically. _Come to me_. She pictured Hogwarts in her mind. The castle's outline against the night sky.

Watching Ariana walking _into_ the portrait was one of the strangest things she'd ever seen, but when she came back with Neville she was amazed. Neville looked like hell, she realized with a start. He looked as though someone had been using him as a practice mannequin. Oh, okay. Apparently he sort of had been used as a practice mannequin. Swift fury flowed through her. Damn the Carrows to hell. Well, they most likely already were damned to hell. She followed along behind Harry and Neville, listening to the current situation in Hogwarts. She grew colder and colder with each story he told. This was not her Hogwarts—this was some sort of creepy Twilight Zone-esque, evil Nega-verse version of Hogwarts. She shivered and Ron put a comforting arm around her. Neville was talking and Hermione struggled to pay attention.

_"Yeah, well, I couldn't ask people to go through what Michael did, so we dropped those kinds of stunts. But we were still fighting, doing underground stuff, right up until a couple of weeks ago. That's when they decided there was only one way to stop me, I suppose, and they went for Gran."_

_"They what?" said Harry, Ron, and Hermione together._

_"Yeah," said Neville, panting a little now, because the passage was climbing so steeply, "well, you can see their thinking. It had worked really well, kidnapping kids to force their relatives to behave. I s'pose it was only a matter of time before they did it the other way around. Thing was," he faced them, and Harry was astonished to see that he was grinning, "they bit off a bit more than they could chew with Gran. Little old witch living alone, they probably thought they didn't need to send anyone particularly powerful. Anyway," Neville laughed, "Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter," he clapped a hand to the breast pocket of his robes, "telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parent's son, and to keep it up."_

No one could say that Augusta Longbottom wasn't a woman of substance, Hermione thought dryly. _I want to be like her when I grow up. Well, except for the part where I make my poor grandson feel like he's not living up to my expectations for most of his life. But as for the kicking wizard ass when I'm 150 years-old, sign me up_.

The Room of Requirements had completely outdone itself. Hermione's jaw dropped and she just stared. This…this was amazing. And then Luna and Dean were coming through the portrait and Hermione was hugging Luna fiercely. It opened again and she ran to Ginny, who was the first on through and hugged her so tightly the other girl winced and then let her go.

"I have missed you so much," she told Ginny. Fred and George glared at her.

"Oi! What are we, then? Casual acquaintances?" Fred demanded irately.

Hermione kissed both of them soundly, which drew raised eyebrows from the majority of the room. They kissed her back and hugged her tightly.

"That's much better," George said with satisfaction.

Luna took Harry to the Ravenclaw tower, and soon there was a steady stream of people into the Room of Requirement. Sirius swept her up and hugged her tightly, but she was soon pulled away from him and embraced by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Bill and Fleur hugged her as well. Remus gave a one armed hug while he talked to Sirius. When Harry returned, she could see it in his eyes. Now was the time to make their stand. The time of battle was at hand. She felt a thrumming in the bond, and looked at Fred and George. They grinned back at her: the twins were excited, they wanted to fight. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Horcruxes, first," she muttered at them. "Then we fight."

They shrugged and then nodded. Once everyone cleared out, they did the magic box and fiendfyre, which destroyed the cup. Then Harry found the diadem and they destroyed that, too.

"Nagini, she's all that's left," Harry said firmly. "We've got to get to her."

"Right," Fred said, nodding. "Where do we look?"

_"We will fight!" Hermione said. "We'll have to, to reach the snake! But let's not lose sight now of what we're supposed to be d-doing! We're the only ones who can end it!"_

_"You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he'll have the snake with him, won't he? Do it, Harry-look inside him!"_

_With a gasp, Harry pulled back and opened his eyes at the same moment his ears were assaulted with the screeches and cries, the smashes and bangs of battle._

_"He's in the Shrieking Shack. The snake's with him, it's got some sort of magical protection around it. He's just sent Lucius Malfoy to find Snape."_

_"Voldemort's sitting in the shrieking Shack?" said Hermione, outraged. "He's not-he's not even FIGHTING?"_

_"He doesn't think he needs to fight," said Harry. "He thinks I'm going to go to him."_

_"But why?"_

Hermione felt all the air leave her. She knew why. Harry was a Questor. She stared at him with wide eyes. The book she'd been reading…it all made sense. The Questor had to offer a Sacrifice to complete the quest. Usually, it was a symbolic sacrifice, but she doubted that Voldemort would allow that. She also knew that Harry had to go alone. She moved forward and kissed her brother. She lifted her hands in front of her and spoke the Benediction, blessing him in his quest. He glowed for just a moment, and then the blessing settled on him.

"Go," she whispered hoarsely. "We'll hold the castle. Go now."

Harry looked into Hermione's eyes, and they had changed in an instant. He felt like he was looking into endless night. There was pain in her eyes, but acceptance, too. He hugged her tightly, and he moved away. Hermione looked at the twins.

"Now we fight," she muttered and they grinned at her.

They moved quickly through the castle, and made it to the grounds. Hermione found a spot that gave her a vantage point to see, and aim, and Fred and George joined her. They let the bond open up, and Hermione started flipping fireballs at the acromantulas. Then she switched and began passing bolts to Fred and George because she knew they wanted to actively do _something_.

George was flinging bolts as fast as Hermione could hand them over and he risked a glance and a grin at his twin. Call it bloodlust or battle frenzy, but they were having fun. Especially when they got the chance to taunt a few Death Eaters, because those gits had absolutely no sense of humor whatsoever. He flung a bolt with one hand and used his wand to cast some spectacular hexes with the other. He heard Fred snort and then he started to do the same thing. The blast caught him by surprise, and then he knew nothing but blackness. He stirred, and sat up slowly, his head ringing. Fred was already sitting up, shaking his head, blood covering his neck and chest where he'd been struck.

"Freddie, you okay?" He asked with a frown, staring at the blood. Fred shrugged and then winced.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he said, looking for his wand. He glanced around them with a frown. "Spitfire?"

"HERMIONE!"

She was laying there, utterly still, and George felt the world spin crazily on its axis. He was crying and shaking her, and then Fred was patting her cheeks and chafing her hands, but nothing worked. He felt the bond falter, felt it weaken, and his heart turned to ice in his chest.

"No, no, no. Spitfire, please don't go," Fred was crying brokenly, her hand clutched to his bloody chest.

George dug in his mental heels and grabbed the thread of the bond that was 'Hermione'. Fred realized what he was doing, and he grabbed onto the bond, too. They tugged on it, and kept it in place. George started tracing the thread, looking for Hermione.

"Hermione, if you leave us, I'll never speak to you again," George muttered fiercely.

"Please, spitfire," Fred was whispering to her, his eyes on her face. "Please, come back."

George traced the thread until he found the 'Hermione' spark, which seemed to be flickering. That flicker frightened him far more than Death Eaters or Voldemort. He pulled Fred in with him and they both grabbed the delicate 'Hermione' spark and held on to it. Fred and George poured power into Hermione, making her spark stronger and as a result, it stopped flickering and instead shone brightly. They pulled back slightly, and Hermione's eyelids began to flutter. She looked up at them and smiled.

"You saved me," she said softly, her face pale and drawn.

"'Course we did-"

"—you're our witch, after all."

"Love you," she whispered softly. Tears fell unheeded down both men's cheeks.

"Love you, too, spitfire."

Her eyes fluttered, and she was unconscious again. Fred and George felt for the bond, but it was stable. She was alive, just unconscious. They lifted her carefully, and carried her into the Great Hall. When they entered, George carrying her in his arms, tears streaking his face, Mrs. Weasley assumed the worst and started sobbing. She threw herself on Fred and cried all over his bloody chest.

"No, Mum, she's just unconscious. It's okay, I swear," Fred was trying to explain. "Can we leave her here for right now? We want to keep helping. We can use the bond, even if she's unconscious."

"Right," Mrs. Weasley said with a glance at Hermione's pale face. "I'll stay with her. Your dad and Bill were on the grounds."

The twins took off for the grounds, looking for their dad and for Bill, their wands in their hands. They saw Sirius and Remus dueling Death Eaters side by side and protecting one another. Tonks had managed somehow to come to them, and she was guarding their backs, viciously hexing any Death Eaters who tried to curse them from behind. They found Bill and Percy fighting side by side and grinned at their brothers, before joining them.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Hermione? Oh, god, Hermione, please be okay," came a frantic voice.

"She's fine! She's just unconscious. She'll come out of it in a bit," Mrs. Weasley's voice was soothing.

"But she's so pale," came that worried voice again.

"Well, you didn't look so peachy, either," Mrs. Weasley said sharply.

"I had to make it look real!" The voice was indignant, and Hermione smiled slightly at that voice.

"Hermione?"

"Harry?" She whispered, her voice raw from the smoke of the battlefield.

"Oh, Merlin's pants, Hermione! You scared me!" Arms came around her, and she felt safe and loved.

"Did you get Nagini?" She whispered.

"Neville did," Harry said proudly. "Bloody brilliant he was, too."

"And Voldemort?" Hermione pressed.

"Gone," Harry said with a tone of finality. Elation filled her and she clung to Harry.

"Oh, thank Merlin," she whispered.

"SPITFIRE?"

"That's my cue to move or be trampled," Harry muttered at her. Arms were clutching her tightly, holding her. Fierce joy flooded the bond. They were so happy that she was there, that she was alive.

"Why the surprise?" Fred demanded.

"Did you think we wanted to off you?" George asked.

"Rather fond of having you about," Fred said with a snort.

"Sort of can't live without you," George said in a choked voice.

"Love you, too," she murmured faintly.

"She needs to rest," Madame Pomfrey said firmly, fixing the twins with a gimlet stare. "Your use of the bond during the battle didn't exactly help her."

"But she'll be okay?"

"Yes, of course," Madame Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley said at the same time and then glanced at one another, slight smiles on their lips.

"You just rest, spitfire," Fred whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

"Get better," George added and kissed her fingertips.


	24. Back to Normal

A shriek of rage echoed down to the kitchen at number 12 Grimmauld Place, and Sirius grinned at Remus who was bouncing Teddy on his knee.

"Ah, the dulcet tones of your darling goddaughter, if I'm not mistaken," Remus observed with a smile of his own.

"I'm just happy she's still here," Sirius said with a pleased smile. Harry snorted.

"You mean, pleased that she hasn't scarpered off to live with the twins?" Harry said dryly.

"I like having people here. Is that a crime now?" Sirius demanded in an injured tone.

"We're going back to Hogwarts to do our seventh year," Harry pointed out. "We won't be here at all except for the holidays."

"That's fine by me," Sirius said with satisfaction.

"They are dead! I will kill them myself!" Hermione's voice was echoing down the stairs.

"What on earth did they do?" Remus asked in surprise. "I thought they didn't prank Hermione."

"They don't," Harry said with a frown. The kitchen door hit the wall and Hermione advanced on her godfather and her brother.

"Look at this," she growled, waving at her shirt, which flashed merrily 'Property of Fred & George Weasley' and 'Hands off, you low-life perverts!'. Sirius and Remus started snickering and Harry goggled at his sister. "The bloody bastards have done this to every single shirt I own. What am I supposed to do? I can't go out of the house like this!"

"Well, love, I suppose your school robes will cover it up," Harry said with a frown.

"I can't wear my school robes morning, noon and night! They've even charmed my nightshirt to do the same bloody thing, only it makes smart ass comments about how no one should see me ready for bed except them," Hermione looked like she was ready to cry she was so mad.

"You could always go to the Burrow and complain to Molly," Remus suggested while Teddy chewed energetically on his tie. Hermione growled again.

"Only if I want to listen to wedding lectures," Hermione ranted and raved through the kitchen, waving her arms wildly, little lightning bolts sparking off of her and hitting random things. Sirius was biting his lip not to laugh at this point and Remus' eyes had gotten quite wide. Teddy laughed and pointed at her.

"Spi'fire!" he squealed with glee, which just made Sirius and Harry burst out laughing.

"Oh, Teddy-Bear, that's the last time I let the twins come over while I watch you. I'm leaving! If the Aurors come looking for me you can lie and say I was here the whole time," Hermione said darkly. Harry sat up, frowning.

"Hermione," he said warningly. She put her chin up a notch.

"Don't you Hermione me, Harry James Potter!" Hermione snapped, and then she turned and stalked from the kitchen.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Harry muttered to himself.

"This can't be good," Remus agreed, handing Teddy over to Sirius who was holding his arms out for the little boy.

"Who's the cutest metamorphmagus ever?" Sirius cooed at Teddy. "Can you say Padfoot? Pa—adfo—ot. Padfoot."

"Spi'fire," Teddy said firmly and tried to gnaw on Sirius' hand.

"It almost sounds like 'spiffier'," Harry said thoughtfully.

"He adores Hermione," Remus confided. "She babysits for us so that Tonks and I can have date nights. He's going to really miss her when you lot go back to school."

"I can babysit," Sirius said firmly. "James and Lily used to have me watch Harry all the time."

"Yeah, until he was old enough to speak and he started repeating you," Remus said darkly. Harry snickered.

"What did I say?" He asked Remus who grinned at the memory.

"Oh, um 'bloody hell' was the one that always upset your mum, but I think it was the day you said 'nice rack' that completely suspended Sirius' babysitting privileges," Remus said thoughtfully. Sirius flushed and muttered something at Teddy who laughed at him and tried to hit him in the head with a small fist.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Just look at me!" Hermione wailed, waving at her chest.

"Oh, I'm looking," Dean Thomas said with a suggestive leer. Ginny hit him upside the head.

"That is a bit over the top," Ginny said with a frown. "You say _all_ your shirts look like this?"

"All of them, Ginny," Hermione said darkly. Ginny frowned even more.

"They've probably charmed your school robes then," she said flatly.

"They didn't!" Hermione was giving off little showers of sparks, now.

"The easy part is that Harry or Sirius would be thrilled to buy you an all-new wardrobe," Ginny said with a grin. Hermione frowned uncertainly.

"Sirius does keep begging me to let him buy me stuff," she said quietly. "But what am I going to do with all my clothes?"

Ginny smiled, and it made all their friends shudder slightly. Whenever she'd smiled like that in their sixth year, the Carrows had suffered.

"You just leave that to me," she said sweetly.

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was always packed, and with September 1st being next week, they were absolutely slammed. Therefore, it took George a minute to notice a girl wander by with 'Property of Fred & George Weasley' emblazoned on her chest. He frowned for a second. Maybe he hadn't seen that quite right. He glanced around, looking for Fred and spotted him in a busy corner. He wiggled his way through the cloud toward his brother. When he got there, he could see Fred arguing with a group of four girls, who all looked like they had to be third or fourth years.

"Look, I'll give you money or whatever, but you have to take those shirts off," Fred was saying in a determined voice. George's eyebrows shot up his forehead.

"Er, excuse us ladies, poor Fred here obviously hasn't had his medication yet today. Terrible tragedy, he's a war veteran, you know. Come along, now Freddie, let's take your potion," George babbled frantically before hauling his brother into the back.

"What the hell, George," Fred said furiously. George rubbed a hand over his face.

"Tell me that you weren't just offering a group of thirteen year-old girls money to take their clothes off," George said in a pained voice. Fred blushed violently.

"No, it's the shirts, you idiot," Fred snapped. "They've all got one of Hermione's shirts on."

"What do you mean they've got Hermione's shirts on?" George demanded. Fred hauled him over and made him look out at their store. Practically every girl in the store was wearing one of Hermione's shirts and they were all winking merrily between 'Property of Fred & George Weasley' and 'Hands off, you low-life perverts!'.

"Oh, no," they whispered.

"Should I let Hermione know that she's got some competition?" Harry asked curiously. The twins jumped and then glared at him. The green eyes were a little icy and he his jaw was tight. _Oh bloody hell._

"We did not do that," Fred said firmly, waving a hand at the girls wandering through the shop.

"You didn't charm those shirts?" Harry asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"Well, technically we did," George muttered, frowning at the shirts in question.

"I see," Harry said icily. "Does Hermione know?"

"I'm not sure," Fred said thoughtfully, also frowning at the shirts.

"You're not sure if my sister knows whether or not there's a legion of bloody girls prancing about in shirts that proclaim them your property?" Harry's voice had gotten dangerous, and his green eyes looked scary. Fred and George shifted slightly.

"Well, you see, it's like this-,"

"Fred and George Weasley!"

"Hello, Mum," the twins muttered dully. Their mother was staring at the girls wandering around their shop, her mouth hanging open. The look she turned on her sons was scathing. She paused briefly to give Harry a warm, loving smile, and then advanced on the twins.

"What is going on here? Why are all these girls wearing these shirts? Have you no decency? Have you no shame? What will Hermione think? What will she say?" Molly ranted and raved at both twins, and no one notice Harry duck out of WWW.

Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour was back and up and running. Harry ambled over to a table of his friends, and slid into a seat between Ginny and Hermione. He wrapped an arm around Ginny and kissed her briefly before turning to Hermione and grinning at his sister.

"What? You didn't hex them did you?" Hermione asked curiously, a brief flicker of worry in her hazel eyes. She wanted to teach them a lesson, not maim them. Harry turned to Ginny and grinned at Ron who was sitting across the table with Lavender Brown.

"Your Mum turned up," Harry said with satisfaction. Ron started laughing and Ginny and Hermione grinned at one another.

"Excellent," Ginny said.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Platform 9 ¾ felt a little different this year, but somehow it was the same, Harry decided. Sirius, Remus, Tonks and little Teddy were there to see Harry and Hermione off. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there to see Ginny and Ron off. Hermione and Ginny were standing together, one silky curtain of dark red bent toward a wild profusion of soft brown curls, snickering about something. Harry's lips thinned slightly. Those two were up to something. He glanced at Ron and raised his eyebrows. Ron shrugged helplessly.

"Won-Won!" Lavender squealed and launched herself at her boyfriend, and proceeded to pepper his face with kisses. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

Hermione and Ginny glanced up, cast identical disgusted faces at Ron, and then bent their head toward one another again. Sirius and Remus looked slightly ill and turned toward Harry who had a look of slight distaste on his face. Mrs. Weasley was smiling at Lavender fondly, probably imagining the wedding for the happy couple, Hermione thought to herself in irritation. She glanced around the station, looking for two familiar red-heads and frowned.

"Where are they?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"They said they'd be here," Ginny said firmly.

"You don't suppose they're still mad that I'm doing the seventh year thing?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"No, I think they're resigned to that. I mean, you were trying to go to school when Death Eaters were panting for your blood. This is a cake walk compared to that," Ginny said reasonably. "I think they were upset, at first, because it meant another year away from you."

"We spent almost all of last year together," Hermione pointed out. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes, making cold camps on cliff faces and running for your life. I'm sure that's the kind of life they wanted for you," Ginny said sarcastically.

"SPITFIRE!" Came an energetic stereo-sound bellow.

"Spi'fire!" Teddy happily echoed, bouncing in his mother's arms. Hermione sighed, but Tonks and Remus laughed.

"I think it's cute, Hermione," Tonks told her firmly.

Magenta robes slithered through the crowd until they reached Hermione, and then she was being hugged enthusiastically by both men, and then being kissed enthusiastically until Sirius and Harry started clearing their throats loudly. They pulled back reluctantly, Fred's hand cupping her face, and George holding tightly to her hand.

"Sorry we were running late, Spitfire."

"Bit busy at the shop."

"However, we fully plan on seeing quite a bit of you."

"Really?" Ginny asked curiously. "How are you going to manage that?"

"We're buying Zonko's old place in Hogsmeade."

"We're branching out, opening new locations."

"Lee's going to manage the Diagon Alley location with Verity."

"We'll oversee the Hogsmeade branch for now."

"You mean for Hermione's seventh year," Ron said with a knowing smirk. The twins shrugged and grinned at Hermione.

"What do you think, spitfire?" They asked her. The smile that spread across her face was breathtaking, and she flung herself at them, kissing each boy all over his face.

"I think that she likes the idea," Harry muttered dryly to Sirius who chuckled in agreement.

The train whistle blew imperiously, and everyone exchanged final hugs and kisses before the students boarded the train. Fred and George pulled Hermione to the side to talk.

"Okay, so one more year of school, yeah?" George said casually, glancing at his brother.

"Yes, just one more year of school. Why?" Hermione asked curiously.

"We want you to think about what you want after school," Fred said quietly, looking deeply into her eyes. She felt her heart start to flutter wildly.

"I want you, the both of you," she said softly, her brows furrowing. They grinned at her, and she received kisses on the cheek for that answer.

"That part's sort of a given," George said firmly.

"Just…think about it, yeah?" Fred asked her. "We'll talk more on your first Hogsmeade Weekend."

"Wait, what do you guys mean, 'after school'?" Hermione asked suddenly, her eyes widening.

"The whole bit, spitfire," Fred said, suddenly completely serious. "You figure out what you want, and we'll talk."

"Okay," She said with a nod. She hugged them both tightly one last time and then ran for the train.


	25. Contemplating the Future

_A/N: Okay, we are winding down to the end. I just didn't want to do a quickie 'everyone's all happy, the end' because I wasn't quite ready to let them go, yet. I'm not planning on this being one of those incredible 60+ chapters, 300,000+ word stories. (Seriously, how do you people do that?) _

Charts and organizational diagrams covered the walls above Hermione's bed in the seventh year dorms. Unfortunately, the body count had been high enough that the current seventh years, and those who hadn't been able to take their seventh year due to the muggleborn registry were all able to fit into the seventh year dorms just fine. For the first time ever, Ginny and Hermione were dorm mates, and they'd claimed beds next to one another. Lavender didn't mind, and neither did Victoria Frobisher or Parvati. Hermione was sitting cross-legged on her bed, staring intently at her charts, and nibbling at her lower lip.

"What are you doing, anyway?" Ginny asked curiously, as she sprawled across her bed. Hermione glanced at Ginny and shrugged.

"Just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life," Hermione said with a slight frown. Ginny snorted.

"Oh, so nothing really major then," Ginny said dryly. Hermione sighed.

"Fred and George want to know what I want to do, after I graduate," Hermione said softly.

"What do you want to do?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I've received a ridiculous number of offers from the Ministry. Almost every department has sent me an offer. I've also received an impressive number of offers from private businesses. I could do pretty much anything, go anywhere," Hermione said with a shrug.

"Do you want to work for the Ministry?" Ginny asked. Hermione frowned.

"I'm not overly fond of the Ministry," she said after a minute. "I know your Dad works there, and I respect him very much…but I have huge problems with the Ministry."

"I would be irritated if you didn't," Ginny said firmly. "Harry's struggling with the idea of joining the Auror training program. On the one hand, he'd follow in his dad and Sirius' footsteps. On the other hand, the Ministry has screwed him over more times than he cares to count."

"Some of the private businesses have offered me internships with their research and development departments, which I must say intrigues me a great deal," Hermione said slowly.

"Yeah, but how do you know that they're okay? They might be just as bad as the Ministry," Ginny pointed out. Hermione nodded. She'd had the same concerns.

"I guess it all boils down to the fact that I don't trust very many people anymore. Our family…that's about it," Hermione said flatly. Ginny grinned at her. "What?"

"Our family," Ginny repeated, grinning widely. Hermione sighed. "What?"

"Well, that's part of it, too. I've had to hide what I am for so long, I'd sort of like to announce to the world that I'm happily bonded, but Fred doesn't want a wedding," Hermione said in hurried rush, blushing and glancing around to make sure they were still alone. Ginny snorted.

"I think the twins would love to announce to the world that you are all theirs, thanks so much. I think that's what those shirt charms were for. Staving off all of the marriage offers from men who want you just because you're a major war hero," Ginny explained. Hermione's face softened.

"Do you really think so?" She asked in a hushed voice. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Flat out tell them you want a wedding. If they protest, you'll know I was wrong. If they agree to it without arguing—they want it just as much as you do," Ginny said firmly. Hermione nodded gravely, then bit her lip again.

"What about the career options? I mean, since you're on a role with the great advice and all," Hermione asked. Ginny frowned.

"Well, you basically need to work with family. So I guess you could go tame dragons with Charlie. Gringott's would probably not want you anywhere near them, or Bill. Percy and Dad work at the Ministry, but that's out. Um…that leaves the twins," Ginny said with a shrug.

"Not necessarily. There's always Sirius. I could help him be a millionaire playboy. How does one do that, do you suppose?" Hermione asked curiously. Ginny turned bright red.

"Er, I don't think the twins would like that at all," Ginny said firmly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't planning on being his mistress, you git! I was thinking more like social secretary, or personal assistant or something," Hermione bit out tightly. Ginny started to giggle.

"Can you imagine? I'm sorry, ma'am, he's booked solid, but I can squeeze you in two weeks from now at 4:00 in the afternoon," Ginny gasped out and Hermione started laughing, too, at the image of booking Sirius' 'lady friends'.

"I know it's hard to believe," she panted after a minute, "but he really does do more than shag random women."

"Hmm," Ginny said doubtfully.

"Okay, fine, but that really does leave me back at square one," Hermione said darkly.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Hey, Potter, can I talk to you?" Draco Malfoy approached Harry after Potions. Harry frowned at his former nemesis and then shrugged.

"Sure, whatever. What do you want Malfoy?" Harry asked in a bored voice. Draco glanced around and then sighed.

"Can we speak privately?" He asked quietly. Harry blinked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry said in surprise. He followed Draco to an unused classroom. Draco turned around and Harry realized that the blond looked uncomfortable.

"Have you accepted any offers for Gr—er, Hermione, yet?" He asked with a slightly pained expression. Harry stared at Draco in confusion, hoping that somehow his question would begin to make sense. Finally, he gave up.

"What offers?" Harry asked with a frown. Draco frowned back at him, surprise evident in his expression.

"Has she, er, not received any?" He asked in surprise. Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, sure, Hermione's received a ton of offers, but she's not sure what she wants to do yet," Harry said slowly. "She's a little gun shy around the Ministry, but some private industries are interested. I didn't think the Malfoy family sullied its name in trade…has that changed?"

"What? No, Potter, marriage offers. Have you received any marriage offers for your sister?" Draco looked exasperated. Harry stared at Draco, his face turning a funny shade of red.

"Are you offering for Hermione's hand?" Harry asked in a strained voice. Draco turned pink and shrugged.

"I'm just asking after your sister," Draco said nonchalantly.

"I suppose that a match with a war hero would help your family," Harry observed in that same strained voice. Draco flushed.

"It might," he said shortly. Harry rubbed his forehead absently, and then looked at Draco with an inscrutable expression.

"I've received a few," he said at last. He didn't bother to mention to Draco that he didn't dare show them to Hermione, for fear that she'd throw a tantrum about the 16th century mores of the wizarding world.

"Any that you'd consider?" Draco asked curiously. Harry's face grew cold.

"No," he said flatly. He didn't bother to go into the fact that Hermione was already married because he didn't feel it was any of Malfoy's damn business.

"Ah. Good to know. Well, it was nice chatting with you, Potter. Must do it again, sometime," Draco said calmly, and left Harry alone in the classroom.

Several days later, Hermione was sitting in the library, working on an essay. She didn't even glance up when she felt someone sit down next to her. A throat clearing brought her glance up, and she frowned slightly at Draco Malfoy who was trying to smile seductively. Hermione had done her best to stay far away from Malfoy so far this year, and she felt that she'd done an admirable job. She sort of felt sorry for him, his family had suffered in the war, and they were under some scrutiny from the Ministry. Harry, Ron, and the twins had spoken on their behalf to the Ministry at their trial because apparently Malfoy had attempted to protect Harry in Malfoy Manor. Before his auntie mysteriously spontaneously combusted. Perhaps it was guilt for flambéing his aunt with unbridled glee, but she'd avoided him. Now here he was, leering at her in the library. He really was leering, too, because the bond was making her skin crawl. Or maybe that was just Malfoy. It was hard to tell.

"Can I help you, Malfoy?" She asked coolly. He smirked at her, and her frown grew more pronounced.

"What are you working on?" he asked her in a husky voice. Hermione blinked at him.

"Transfiguration essay," Hermione said, watching Draco with a puzzled expression. He nodded.

"I found that one to be really interesting. Did you use Spellman's Treatise?" Draco asked curiously. Hermione's mouth dropped open. She closed it quickly and swallowed.

"Erm, yes, I did," Hermione said hesitantly. Draco made a few more comments about the homework, _winked at her_, and then left the library. Hermione stared after him, a dazed expression on her face.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

Hermione tossed her book bag on the floor and threw herself onto the couch between Ron and Harry. She glanced at her brother.

"Malfoy's up to something," she said sulkily. Harry looked at her, one brow raised.

"Isn't this where I'm supposed to tell you to drag him off to a broom closet?" Harry asked dryly. Hermione glared at him.

"I think that's exactly what he wants," she said with distaste. Ron gagged slightly.

"That's absolutely disgusting!" He said darkly. "Don't even joke about things like that."

"No, I think she's right," Harry said thoughtfully. He looked at his sister. "I think he's trying to seduce you or something."

"You must be joking," Hermione said flatly. Harry shook his head.

"No, he asked me some weird questions a while ago, and it never occurred to me that he might be thinking about…well, you as like wife material." Harry muttered in irritation.

"He wants to _marry me_?" Hermione shrieked, sitting bolt upright on the couch. Harry cringed and covered his ears. Everyone in the common area turned to stare at her. She blushed furiously and smiled weakly at everyone. Then she turned back to her brother. "Bloody hell, Harry, this is the sort of thing you're supposed to warn me about."

"I didn't realize that that was what he was up to until you said something," Harry said defensively. "I would have thought the stupid git would figure you'd rather hex his bollocks off than marry him."

"You'd think," Hermione muttered darkly.

The next couple weeks found Hermione desperate to place distance between herself and Malfoy. Even worse, once some of the students realized that Draco was attempting to pursue her, several of the male students decided that they needed to press their own suits, or risk losing out on Hermione. By the time the Hogsmeade weekend rolled around, Hermione was the first student in line, tapping her foot impatiently waiting for her okay to head toward the wizarding village. She marched up to the WWW Annex and threw open the door, marching right up to the counter. She glared at Fred, who was standing in his magenta robes, eyeing her cautiously.

"I want to get married," she announced firmly, a gimlet look in her eye. Fred looked at her and frowned.

"Is there something that George and I ought to know, spitfire?" Fred asked quietly, his face slightly pale. Hermione growled, her hair starting to spark slightly.

"Sodding Malfoy is trying to sodding court me, and once he started, then everyone else decided it was open season on Hermione," she groused. Fred's eyes widened slightly and he looked for George who came over and slid an arm around her waist.

"Hello, love," he murmured and kissed her forehead.

"Our spitfire here has decided that she'd like to get married. Apparently Malfoy's been courting her."

"Wait, you want to marry Malfoy? Absolutely not!"

"No, of course I don't want to marry Malfoy! I want to marry you two," she hissed at them. "I want everyone to know the truth. I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of lying. I want everybody to know that I'm yours and you lot are mine."

"Ah," they said, the strangest expressions on both of their faces. She frowned at them.

"Well?" She demanded. Fred and George looked at her and smiled smugly.

"You want the world to know that you're ours?" George asked softly, trailing his fingertips up the inside of her arm.

"Yes," she said firmly. "And that you are mine. The both of you."

"Fred, you have it on you, or did you leave it at the flat?" George asked.

"Got it here somewhere," Fred muttered, digging through his pockets. George lifted her wrist gently and carefully took off the silver bracelet she always wore, leaving her bond mark exposed. His fingers gently massaged the tattoo, making her skin tingle and her eyes glow slightly. He flicked his wand, and the glamour that normally covered the twins' wrists was gone. "Ah! Here it is!"

"That's a Skiving Snackbox," Hermione said doubtfully. Fred grinned at her.

"Pay no attention to the box, love. It's what's inside that counts."

Inside the empty Skiving Snackbox was a delicate ring of what she suspected was white gold with a fairly large sapphire flanked by two fire opals. She sucked in her breath, staring at the box. Fred and George carefully slid the ring onto her finger and then grinned at her hand. Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked rapidly, staring dumbfounded at her hand. They frowned.

"You don't like it?"

"We'll get you a different one."

"No! No, I love it," she whispered, tears trickling down her cheeks. They continued to frown.

"Then why are you crying?" George asked quietly. Hermione rubbed her cheeks.

"Because I'm happy," she said. They rolled their eyes and kissed her cheeks.

"Right. So we have to contact everyone, or they'll all be upset," Fred said with a long-suffering sigh.

"And we have to figure out how to sneak in the castle so we can have a celebratory dinner in the Room of Requirement," George added with a certain gleam in his eye that promised much more than dinner. Hermione snorted.

"That part's easy," she said with a shrug. "Hogwarts may have excellent wards, but they aren't triad strong. We can bend them to allow you in whenever you want."

"How long have you known that?" Fred demanded. Hermione waved a hand.

"Ever since I came back for sixth year. The wards are complex, sure, but I can…er…massage them," Hermione explained. Fred and George both looked put out.

"You mean to tell us—"

"—that we could have been"

"—visiting you this _whole time_?"

"Oh. I didn't think of that. Yes, I suppose so," Hermione said in a small voice, her eyes wide.

"You didn't _think of it_?" They exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"Obviously, our technique must be lacking," Fred said darkly. Hermione rolled her eyes, and moved closer to him to kiss him.

"Your technique is fine, and so is George's. I just…I was worrying about everything else. The whole 'what am I going to do after graduation' thing." Hermione explained softly. Fred allowed her to press kisses along his jaw to mollify him. George's eyes darkened and he moved closer to her. He lifted her left wrist and pressed kisses along the bond mark. Hermione started to shudder between them, her eyelids fluttering.

"Fascinating," Fred murmured, watching their spitfire.

"When do we close?" George muttered against the skin of Hermione's wrist.

"Not for hours."

"Bloody hell."

"Too right."


	26. Wizarding Wedding Customs

_A/N: Only one or two more chapters to go. Almost there. _

Monday morning, Hermione was sitting at the Gryffindor table eating eggs and sausage, and talking to Ginny when Fred and George's owl flew in and dropped a letter in front of Harry. He frowned at the letter and quirked a brown at Hermione who shrugged helplessly; he sighed heavily and opened it. Harry frowned for several minutes at the thick vellum paper in his hands and then he looked at Hermione and Ginny who looked just as confused as he felt.

"I don't get it," he said flatly.

"What is it?" Hermione asked with a glance at Ginny who shook her head and shrugged.

"It's a letter of intent—basically informing me of their desire to ally themselves through the bonds of marriage—yada, yada, yada," Harry said slowly, "but you three are _already _ married. I don't understand."

"I told them I wanted a big public wedding so that everybody knows about us," Hermione explained carefully and went to take a sip of pumpkin juice. Ginny screamed at the top of her lungs and snatched Hermione's hand.

"Sweet mother of Merlin!" Ginny gasped, staring at Hermione's ring and her exposed bond mark.

"Is that the, uh, let me look here," Harry grabbed the letter and scanned it, "oh, yeah, the bridal gift?"

"It's the beginning," Neville said next to them, his eyes on Hermione's hand. "Usually it's a whole slew of gifts that make up what used to be called the bride price. Hermione, is that what I think it is?"

"What do you mean bride price? Are they _buying_ me from Harry?" Hermione demanded indignantly, her hair starting to spark. Neville frowned at her hair.

"You know, I always wondered about that. It sort of explains a lot," He said thoughtfully.

"Seriously? Harry? Answer me!" Hermione hissed at her brother.

"Do you know about this kind of stuff Neville? Why are they sending me this stuff since they've already got the bond?" Harry asked, shoving the letter towards Neville. Neville cleared his throat uncomfortably and shifted under Hermione's angry gaze.

"Hello? I'm right here! Can we include me in the conversations about me?" Hermione growled at both boys.

"Well, Hermione's asking for a very public display of their relationship, and to wizards, that means that they have to follow all of the customs and rituals. The Weasleys might not be an ancient and noble house like the Potters or the Longbottoms, but they will do the best they can to observe all the traditions," Neville explained, glancing at Hermione's angry face. Ginny huffed indignantly.

"What's that supposed to mean, 'do the best they can'? I've a mind to hex you right between the eyes, Longbottom," Ginny growled. Neville flushed.

"I mean the courting gifts. The Longbottom vault has whole coffers filled with pieces that are specifically bridal gifts. A lot of them are easily recognizable, and the gifting of even one would be considered tantamount to a proposal of marriage. I can only imagine that the Potter vaults are the same. You might have to ask Sirius to help you catalogue some of it," Neville said solemnly.

"Circe's knickers," Hermione muttered, staring at Ginny. Neville cleared his throat.

"Erm, I would imagine that Hermione's status is playing a huge part in how they've chosen to handle the situation," Neville said with an embarrassed shrug.

"What do you mean, my status?" Hermione frowned darkly at Neville. Was he trying to bring up the whole muggleborn thing? She might just help Ginny hex him if he was.

"Well, technically you are a Potter, a daughter of an ancient and noble wizarding family. You are allied to the ancient and noble house of Black through your godfather. You are also a major war heroine, and the Chosen One's sister. All of those things make you _extremely _desirable as far as marriage is concerned. My gran was making noises about me offering for you," he said apologetically. Hermione narrowed her eyes dangerously and turned to her brother.

"I haven't received any offers of marriage," she said flatly, glaring daggers at her brother. Neville snorted.

"Well, no you wouldn't. They would go straight to the male head of the family, which would be Harry." Neville said blandly, not noticing the frantic hand gestures from Harry.

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione's eyes were glowing. Harry sighed.

"Yes, Hermione?" He asked quietly.

"How many offers of marriage have you received for me?" She asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"One hundred twenty-seven," he sighed, rubbing his temples.

"One hundred twenty-seven!" Hermione shrieked, her face going pale. Harry glanced at the thick vellum letter that Neville handed back to him.

"Well, one hundred twenty-eight, now."

"Why haven't you said anything?" Hermione demanded. Harry shrugged.

"You're already bonded to Fred and George. There was no point to mention it to you, and I simply rejected all the offers," Harry said carefully. Hermione frowned at him.

"When you say it like _that_, it sounds completely logical," Hermione muttered darkly. Harry shrugged.

"It's what I would have done," Ron said through a mouthful of eggs. Ginny grimaced at Hermione. "I mean, you're already taken, these tossers need to leave you alone."

"No one's actually approached _you_, have they Hermione?" Neville asked in a shocked voice.

"No," Hermione said slowly. "I mean, a lot of the boys have sort of flirted with me, and hit on me—it's been so surreal, to be honest—but nobody has run up to me begging me to marry them."

"Fred and George are just going to love that," Ron said in a disgruntled voice.

"Maybe we should have kept all those shirts," Ginny muttered to Hermione.

"The worst part is that I almost agree with you," Hermione muttered back.

"So, according to this letter, Hermione's acceptance of the ring, and her public wearing of said ring, indicates that the Potter family is considering their suit," Harry said slowly, reading the letter again. "What does that even mean?"

"They're betrothed to her now," Neville said helpfully. "All other suitors should bow out gracefully because she has made her choice."

"They're bleeding _married_," Harry said rubbing his throbbing temples. "How can people who are already married be engaged?"

"So, you're marrying them twice over?" Ron asked curiously. Hermione sighed.

"I just wanted everyone to know that we belong to each other. We had to hide everything because of the bloody Death Eaters…I just…I wanted people to know the truth," Hermione said quietly, her shoulders slumping. Ginny put her arm around Hermione's shoulders and gave her a sideways hug.

"If it makes you feel any better, it'll make Mum happy. Although I bet she and Sirius will have some major screaming matches over the details. He's going to want to marry you off like a proper pureblood princess," Ginny said with a cheeky grin. Then she snickered. "It should be loads of fun to watch."

"Unless you're in the middle of it all," Hermione groused sourly. Ron snorted.

"On the bright side, Malfoy should stay the hell away from you now, yeah?" He said firmly. Since the twins weren't available, Ron had somehow appointed himself their proxy advocate, and felt it necessary to behave as a good brother-in-law whenever he felt the situation warranted it. Usually, Hermione disagreed violently, and had been known to hex him. This one time, she had to agree, even though it grated on her nerves. She nodded thoughtfully, and looked at Ginny.

Later in the day she was sitting in the Library, working on her homework when she felt someone sit next to her. She turned in irritation to see Draco Malfoy staring in horrified fascination at her left wrist. She was reading, and her hand was tucked under the book, so he hadn't seen the giant sapphire on her hand, yet.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked faintly. Hermione wondered why everyone always asked that. Was there a book somewhere called _Pureblood Conversational Techniques_ with a chapter on triads that insisted you use that as the opening line? At this point she was starting to suspect that maybe there was. Hermione pursed her lips in annoyance.

"That all depends, Malfoy. What do you think it is?" Hermione said coolly.

"Are you…but who with? It can't be Potter, he's your brother," Draco was muttering to himself.

"Fred and George Weasley are my bondmates," she said coldly. "Not that that is any of your business."

She closed the book in front of her, and Draco's eyes immediately went to the impressive ring on her hand. His jaw dropped open and he stared at her wrist and her hand for several long minutes. The look he turned on her then was almost relieved, and she wasn't sure whether she should be insulted or not. He obviously didn't really want _her_, he just wanted to help his family. On the one hand, she couldn't blame him for caring about his family. On the other hand, the idea that he thought he would ever even have a chance with her was almost laughable. Even if she didn't have the twins, Harry would kill Malfoy cheerfully before allowing him anywhere near his sister, and while normally Hermione might decry the blatant sexism—for Malfoy she would make a special allowance.

"Congratulations," he said in a stiffly formal voice. She nodded.

"Yes, thank you," she murmured.

"Er, I must be going," He said abruptly before he stood up and left the library. She sighed in relief.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

The Christmas holiday was almost frenetic that year. Sirius and Molly wanted to meet with her every single day to discuss wedding plans, and Ginny had been spot on—Sirius was acting like Hermione was his flesh and blood daughter and he wanted her married off like a pureblood daughter of an ancient and noble house. Harry, the traitorous toad, had thrown up his hands and told Sirius that if he wanted to plan the damn wedding he was welcome to it. Molly was pleased with most of Sirius' suggestions, but they butted head on more than one occasion and over things that made absolutely no sense to Hermione at all because they were strange wizarding customs.

"Wait, you want people to throw _shoes_ at me?" Hermione asked faintly. Molly and Sirius glanced over at her.

"Well, of course dear," Molly said in surprise. "It's good luck."

"What, if they _hit me_ with the shoes?" Hermione's eyes were wide. Molly frowned slightly.

"You, or Fred or George. Any one of you will do," Molly assured her, and patted her shoulder. Hermione made a strangled noise and took a sip of her butterbeer, wishing it were firewhiskey instead.

"Now, Hermione, for a formal marriage there is supposed to be a transfer of property and goods. I've drawn up a list of Black estates that I would like you to look at. Choose the one you think suits you best, and we'll draw up the paperwork," Sirius said firmly handing her a parchment. Hermione stared at paper in her hands her mouth falling open.

"You're giving me a house?" She whispered, turning to stare at Sirius with wide eyes. He frowned at her.

"Well of course," he said slowly, as though he couldn't figure out what was wrong.

"Hermione, dear, it is the way things are done," Molly said uncertainly. "The Burrow was a gift from my father."

When Hermione flung herself into Sirius arms and started crying on his crushed velvet jacket he looked helplessly at Molly and carefully patted her back. He was giving her a _house_, but it wasn't that—it was that he considered her a part of his family. He was trying to show her, through the strangest customs she had ever heard of, how important she was to both him and to Harry.

"Maybe we should take a break," Molly said carefully, and she stood up and left the two of them alone. She sent Harry in, and the three of them hugged one another and spent a couple hours talking about which house might be the best choice for her, and for the twins. Eventually Sirius rubbed his neck.

"You should go look at some of them. Take the twins with you, figure out what you three want and then let me know," Sirius said with a sigh. Hermione nodded. If she were going to live there with Fred and George then they needed to help choose the home.

"You're right," Hermione said firmly.

It was the sixth house they went to look at. It wasn't as ostentatious as the first house they saw, which Hermione privately thought would be more accurately termed a palace. It wasn't as homey as the second house, which was a tiny cottage with a darling little garden. The third and the fourth had just felt 'wrong' to all three of them. The fifth had been a huge manor house. The sixth, though, was a pleasant mixture. It was a large house, and she supposed it might be considered a small manor house, but there was a homey feel to it…a coziness that the other houses had lacked. When Hermione saw the nursery, she had blushed, but then she considered the idea of little red-headed boys and girls running down the halls; and she had felt strangely happy and content at the thought. The sixth house also had several outbuildings to recommend it. One of them looked to be absolutely perfect for Fred and George to experiment in. They had both gotten really excited and started talking about some of their research and development projects. Hermione listened to them fondly, and thought that some of what they were working on sounded positively fascinating. Some of what they were discussing she had only read about in theoretical treatises. It was experimental magic, and she found herself excited by the prospect. Maybe they would let her help.

Once their decision was made, Sirius took all of them to Gringott's and had all the paperwork drawn up. The three of them were the proud owners of the Grange. Hermione had started crying again, when she learned what their new home was called. Fred and George had patted her back and held her while their goblin looked on with distaste. Sirius gave a sort of shrug.

"Kitten, it's always been called the Grange. You can change it if you'd rather," he said cautiously. Hermione shook her head furiously.

"No," she muttered. "It's the Grange."

"This just means she's happy," George said dryly. Hermione punched him and he grunted.

"Don't be a prat," she said faintly.

"I hope we survive to the wedding day," George muttered rubbing his arm. Fred rolled his eyes at his brother.

_A/N: In Tudor England, throwing shoes at the retreating bridal couple was an actual wedding custom—striking their carriage, or better yet the couple themselves was thought to bring good luck. It is where our modern custom of tying shoes to the 'getaway car' comes from. However, the wizarding world seems to hold on to customs and traditions we would consider archaic…and they don't have cars…so I figured they might follow the older tradition. _


	27. Officially Official, At Last

21 June, Summer after graduation, The Burrow

"I don't know if I can do this," George muttered, a slightly greenish cast to his features.

"What do you mean you can't do this?" Fred demanded, straightening up from the mirror where he'd been adjusting his cravat. George's hands were shaking slightly and he sat down heavily on his childhood bed.

"This," George said waving a hand absently.

"Right," Fred said flatly. "Shall I go tell her you've decided not to go through with it? She's been so stable these last few weeks. I'm sure she won't level the Burrow."

"Don't be an ass," George said, rubbing a hand over his face.

"_I'm_ not the one who doesn't know if he can do this," Fred said darkly, then he sighed. "Look, Georgie, she's already ours. She's been ours since she was five years old. She wants this, it will make her happy. We're already married. It's not like we don't already know what the wedding night will be like. All she wants is for the whole world to know how much she loves you, you great git."

"Well, when you put it like that," George said faintly, a smile twitching on his lips.

"Although it might be better if you just stay here," Fred said thoughtfully. "Then she'd be just mine, right? That could be interesting. You'd have to go get your own wife then. You know what? Why don't you have a nice lie down. I'll just toddle downstairs, marry our girl, and then go shag her on every possible surface of the Grange. I bet we could even do it on the ceiling, our girl is so clever after all."

"That's not funny at all, Fred," George said with a dark glare for his twin. Fred shrugged, completely unrepentant.

"It was your idea, not mine," Fred said firmly. George was still scowling at him. Fred smiled smugly.

"Feeling better now?"

"I think I will after I plant one in your smug face."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Consider it a wedding present then, one groom to another."

The sounds of scuffling, and the crash of a nightstand, brought Harry into the room, followed closely by Bill and Charlie. They managed to separate the two groomsmen—Bill holding firmly to Fred and Charlie gripping George's arms tightly. Harry goggled at the both of them and turned red.

"Have you both lost your damn minds? Do you know that she's singed _two_ veils, she's sparking so much? Your Mum and Sirius are _still _arguing about the processional, and Hagrid's just shown up with a great ruddy carriage pulled by those whatsits that he borrowed from Madame Maxine! Now knock it off! I want you both to grow a pair and act like the men _she_ thinks you are, or I'll kill you both myself!" Harry growled viciously at the both of them and then stomped out of their room. Bill and Charlie snickered once he'd left the room, and released Fred and George.

"Well, he told you, didn't he?" Charlie observed with a small smile. Bill grinned.

"I would say he did," he agreed. Fred and George glowered at the both of them.

"Bet she's not going to like the shiner on Freddie there," Charlie said after a moment.

"Oh bloody hell," the twins muttered.

A pale blue coach pulled up in front of the Burrow, pulled by golden winged horses with red eyes. A hush went over the crowd as Harry Potter stepped out and pulled down the golden steps, allowing first his godfather, and then his sister to step carefully out of the carriage and touch down lightly on the ground. Sirius and Harry cut dashing figures in their dress robes. Sirius' were a dark, deep burgundy that flattered his dark looks, and made several women at the wedding swoon. Harry was just as handsome in his bottle green dress robes, which complimented his eyes. The aura of leashed power surrounding him made just as many women swoon. (And incidentally, not just a few men as well, for both wizards looked wickedly sexy.) But when Hermione stepped out, and took Sirius' hand to steady herself, a soft gasp was expelled by the wedding guests. The whole concept of a veil had been scrapped completely. Instead, Hermione's hair floated about her in a visible nimbus of her power. Her hazel eyes glowed almost gold, and a tiny shower of sparks seemed to trail after her. Her gown, which had been found in the Potter vaults, was cloth-of-gold with an elaborate design picked out around the skirt in sapphires and emeralds that imitated her triad bond design. Around her throat she wore a necklace that had been found with the dress, and its sapphires and emeralds matched the design around her wrist. Delicate golden slippers shod her feet, and Sirius led her forward. Harry took her other hand, and they approached the dais where Fred and George were waiting with Kingsley Shacklebolt who had consented to oversee the nuptials.

It was noted, and remarked upon later, that the bride-to-be faltered slightly when she drew close enough to see that her husbands-to-be looked a little worse for wear. Fred and George stared at Hermione, for once they were truly both speechless. In point of fact, both were incapable of coherent thought. She was beautiful, incredible, gorgeous…no word seemed quite right, all of them seemed lacking in scope or missing some detail that would properly capture her magnificence. Then the bride-to-be shook herself slightly and glided forward, to stop before Kingsley and smile up at him. The look she turned on her bondmates glowed with heat because wizarding custom had kept them apart for thirty-nine nights leading up to the wedding.

"Friends, family, and wizards and witches of distinction, we have been gathered here in this place to bear witness to the union of Hermione, daughter of the ancient and most noble house of Potter, to Fred and George, sons of the noble house of Weasley. Harry, as Head of your family, do you consent to and bless this union?" Kingley Shacklebolt's rich, deep voice rolled out over the guests. Harry held himself stiffly straight and turned to look out over the crowd.

"I do consent to the union of Hermione, daughter of my house, to Fred and George Weasley. I bless their union freely and without malice," Harry's voice was strong and sure.

"Sirius, Head of the ancient and most noble house of Black, as legal guardian for Hermione of house Potter, do you also grant your consent to this union, and bless it?" Sirius smiled down at Hermione, and she smiled back at him, blinking back tears.

"I do consent to the union of Hermione, ward of my house, to Fred and George Weasley. I bless their union freely and without malice," Sirius sonorous voice conveyed power and strength. Kingsley turned to Arthur and Molly who were standing slightly behind their sons.

"Arthur and Molly, Head of the noble house of Weasley, and parents of Fred and George, do you grant your consent to their union to Hermione Potter, and do you bless it?" Kingsley asked gravely. Molly was crying into a lace handkerchief and waving at Arthur who cleared his throat slightly. Hermione realized with a start that he, too, was a little emotional.

"I do consent to the union of Fred and George, sons of my house, to Hermione Potter. I bless their union freely and without malice," he said in a slightly thick voice that made Hermione love him all the more. Kingsley turned to wedding triad and smiled warmly.

"Now if you three will exchange the traditional vows," he said calmly holding out his wand to bind them. Hermione rolled her eyes slightly. They were already bound so strongly that this little vow was almost a nothing, but that's why they'd chosen it. Their previous vows more than did the trick. She turned to Fred and George and they turned to her. The three of them clasped hands.

"I, Hermione Potter, give myself to you, Fred, and to you, George, of my own free will in loyal matrimony," she said clearly and distinctly.

"And we receive you," they said solemnly, their eyes burning her with the intensity of their gaze.

"We, Fred Weasley and George Weasley, give ourselves to you, Hermione, of our own free will in loyal matrimony," they said in unison. A tear slipped down Fred's cheek. Hermione smiled at the both of them, and her hands tightened on theirs.

"And I receive you," she replied.

"A kiss freely given, and freely accepted will seal the bond," Kingsley intoned.

The three of them moved together and each man kissed her fiercely, their arms embracing one another tightly. The bond sealed itself around them, and a glowing ball of power and magic seemed to emanate from the triad. Their bond flared wide open and the magic released itself, blinding everyone for a moment in the intensity of the bride and grooms' emotions and power. Everyone was slightly dazed until Harry cleared his throat loudly.

"Hermione? Love?" He called to her. She released George's lips for a moment and looked at her brother with a distracted expression.

"Yes?" she asked with a slight pout.

"Could you come down, now, love? We'd all like a chance to congratulate you," he said with a smile. Hermione looked down and realized they were levitating. Again. She grinned at her brother, but she felt herself lowering carefully until her feet lightly touched down.

Maybe weddings weren't so bad, Fred reflected as he sat at the converted dais with Hermione pressed firmly against him. She was feeding him something, and he was taking the opportunity to lick and nibble her fingers. If her eyes glowed anymore, he was pretty sure they'd start burning holes in things. George seemed better, but that might be because he was feeding something to Hermione who was moaning slightly and sucking on his fingers. He looked like he wanted to take her right there on the table. Actually, that sounded like a fair idea. It _had_ been thirty-nine days since they'd seen her. They'd gone through most of their daydream charms all by themselves. Sirius appeared at his elbow, with a sardonic look in his eye.

"I know that you are not thinking of kidnapping your bride and running off with her, abandoning family and friends so that you enjoy connubial bliss in every room of your new home," Sirius said mildly, straightening his cuffs. Fred grinned wickedly.

"I hadn't really, but now that you've suggested it," Fred said with a waggle of his brows. Sirius snorted.

"I'm sure you hadn't even thought about it. However, I would like one dance with Hermione before you take her from me forever," he said firmly. Hermione stood on unsteady feet, courtesy of the wine punch, which may or may not have been spiked with something 'a little extra' courtesy of Charlie. Sirius led her out to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. She smiled radiantly up at him.

"I'm not being taken from you forever," she said gravely. Then she smiled at him. "When we start repopulating the earth with little wizards and witches, I'm sure we'll beg you to let them visit Grandpa Black at regular intervals."

"Grandpa Black?" Sirius sounded vaguely offended.

"Uncle Sirius?" She offered with a shrug.

"Maybe," he muttered, refusing to look at her. She thought there might be a suspicious moisture in his eyes, but she decided to ignore it for today.

"Hmm. Maybe. All I know is that we're family, and that much won't change. I may not be living in Grimmauld Place, but you and Harry aren't getting rid of me this easily. Besides, I still have to figure out what I'm going to do with myself. I think I might be able to help you with the whole millionaire playboy thing. How do you make your money? Who manages it? Do you have a social secretary? Do you need one? And, no, Sirius, I shan't be booking your indiscretions for you," Hermione told him firmly. Sirius' arms tightened around her until she had to smack his arm so that she could breathe. Her comments about family had touched him. She kissed him on the cheek and laid her head on his shoulder. When the dance was through, Harry collected her for his dance.

Finally, an hour or so later, the lovely blue carriage took off silently and headed toward the Grange. It took everyone a little while to figure out that the bride and both of her grooms had slipped away from them, and no one had even gotten a chance to throw shoes at them, but somehow no one minded. Charlie was convinced that his addition to the wine punch was directly responsible, and felt rather proud of himself.

Fred and George found that they could not wait until they arrived at the Grange, and that sex in flying carriages can be fun, if slightly interesting, especially when the carriage changes altitude suddenly. Hermione enjoyed herself thoroughly, and wondered if such carriages and the winged horses that pulled them were terribly expensive. When they arrived at the Grange the twins linked hands, and had her sit on their linked hands so that they both could carry her into the house. She kissed Fred frantically, ripping at his dress robes, while George tried to undo the myriad hooks of her wedding gown. He finally cursed under his breath and flicked his wand at the row of hooks. When they were finally naked in the foyer, they attacked each other as though they'd been separated for thirty-nine days, which they had. Hands were followed by lips and tongues, and gasps and low, breathy moans. George was blazing a trail of fire down her chest, his lips filling her with molten fire as his tongue flicked against her skin. Fred was doing amazing things down by her knees and then his wicked tongue slid higher up her thighs and then her fingers were sliding into his silky hair and holding him there. The three of them moved together at their own pace, and when Hermione screamed her pleasure at the ceiling of the foyer, Fred and George's hoarse shouts were only seconds behind. She lay there, panting slightly, and George kissed her shoulder.

"Probably ought to find our actual bedroom," Fred said conversationally from his sprawled position on the cool floor.

"Might be for the best," George agreed trailing kisses along Hermione's throat.

"Am I ever going to find out why you've got a black eye, Fred?" Hermione asked quietly. George stiffened slightly.

"Probably not," Fred said cheerfully. Hermione sighed.

"Fine, let's go to the master suite, then," she said, bending over and grabbing her little gold slippers. She looked over her shoulder at George who was stroking her lower back with a smug smile on his face. "Hold that thought, love. Let's get upstairs. Then you can ravish me against the wall, or the ceiling, or whatever you've been planning."

"The ceiling," George said absently. Hermione blinked.

"Oh? Really?" She asked curiously.

"Mmm. Fred's idea, but it's got merit," George murmured. Fred grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Last one there gets to make breakfast tomorrow!" He called to George and took the steps two at a time.

"Oh! Fred! Honestly! George, help!" Hermione called out. George raced after them, a look of determination of his face.


	28. Epilogue

_A/N: This is it, the epilogue. Our story ends, but I hope that your imagination is able to create new adventures for our characters. Also, I tried to name all of the children using common wizarding family names. If you'll notice in the books, they tend toward tradition and precedent when naming their children. That and JKR used the Victorian custom of naming girls after flowers quite a bit, for muggles and for wizards i.e. Petunia, Lily, Lavender, Pansy, Rose, Fleur, Daisy, Olive, etc. Oh, and just so you know—Jacques is the French form of James, so Jacqueline is the female French version of James. Lis is the French form of Lily, so Lisette means Lily._

(Roughly ten years after the last chapter)

"Remind me, again, _why_ we thought we needed to branch out across the pond?" Fred asked in irritation, rubbing his temples and glaring down the long boardroom table. George groaned and shrugged.

"Beats the hell out me, I don't like leaving our spitfire for this long, either," George muttered. They'd been in the States for two months, and the owls from the Grange were getting distinctly chilly. At that moment, a silvery otter patronus swam cheerfully into the board room and paused in front of Fred and George.

"Home," Hermione's voice echoed in the board room. "Now. Family emergency."

Fred and George stood up immediately. The wizards and witches sitting around the table looked surprised.

"Look, you can't leave _now_," the CEO blustered importantly. Fred and George snorted.

"Right, unfortunately for you, _she_ commands a great deal more power and influence than you do," they said, and apparated out of the meeting.

The Grange looked okay from the outside. Fred and George looked at one another uneasily, and approached the wards. They slid through them easily, the wards welcoming them with a feeling similar to a light caress of power. Their lab appeared to be standing. The twins frowned and hurried toward the house.

"Dad! Dad!" The doors to the Grange flew open and several blurs of red flew out of the Grange and flung themselves head long at their absentee fathers. Oriana and Arctura reached them first, and they each grabbed a dad, pulled him down and clung to his neck.

Fred and George hugged each girl tightly, and then glanced down at the younger children clinging to their legs. Oriana and Arctura, the ten year-old twins, had been named after Sirius and his brother Regulus' middle names—Orion and Arcturus. Sirius had been visibly moved when the girls were officially named, and he had been asked to be godfather to both girls. Clinging to Fred's waist was their eight year-old son Ignatius, and clinging to George's waist was their six year-old son, Septimus. Standing in front of them, looking forlorn, and slightly scared, was their five year-old daughter, Cedrella. George squatted down and held out an arm.

"What's wrong, Ellie?" He asked with concern. She watched him her blue eyes inherited from the Weasley side, and nibble her lower lip just like her mother did. Her hands were clasped behind her back and she continued to hang back slightly.

"Oh, Fred, George!" Hermione hurtled out of the house and added herself to the group hug. They each pressed a kiss to her brow and then pulled back slightly.

"What's going on, spitfire?" Fred asked, worry evident in his face. Hermione's face tightened slightly and she turned toward their youngest child.

"Ellie, love, come here," she said softly, holding out her hand. Cedrella moved forward and placed her left hand in her mother's. Fred and George's eyes widened and they stared at their youngest child's left wrist, which was encircled with a very familiar tattoo.

"Who?" George demanded. Hermione snorted.

"I suppose that's better than 'is that what I think it is'," she muttered to herself. "To answer your question, it's Sirius and Melisande's son, Regulus Alphard, and Remus and Tonks' younger son, Harry James. I completely blame Sirius, and I'd have his bollocks mounted above the fireplace except Melisande begged me not to."

"But, but, how?" Fred asked blankly. Hermione's lips thinned slightly.

"We went for a family dinner at Grimmauld Place," she said shortly. "When I went to collect Ellie, I found her in Reggie's room with Reggie and HJ, and she had this."

"Well, sweet Circe's knickers," George muttered in shock, staring at his youngest child who looked like she was going to start crying any minute. Fred gathered her up in his arms and stroked her hair.

"It's alright Ellie, love, Mummy's not mad at you," Fred murmured into her dark red hair. Hermione started.

"Of course I'm not! Oh, Ellie, Mummy is most definitely not mad at you, sweetheart," Hermione said softly and kissed her daughter's cheek.

"You're not mad at Reggie or HJ are you?" Ellie whispered, her blue eyes wide. Hermione shook her head.

"No, sweetheart, not really. Mummy's just worried about what this means for you," Hermione said quietly, with a glance at Fred and George.

"Well, I don't know, _we_ turned out all right," Fred said with a frown for his wife. She humphed.

"I've got four words for the both of you: consummation of the bond," Hermione said flatly, her eyes narrowed on them. Both men stiffened.

"Well, they're all the same age, so that part won't be as hard," George muttered. Fred snorted.

"Still, maybe we ought to move to France and enroll her in Beauxbatons," Fred said mildly, eyeing his precious daughter protectively.

"Oh, Daddy, you know there are boys at Beauxbatons, too," Oriana said with a snort.

"Course there are," Arctura added with a firm nod. "Dominique's got French cousins that come visit. We go play with them all the time in the summer."

"Hmmm," George said, the wheels in his head spinning madly. He glanced at Hermione who was talking quietly to Ellie. "There's really no hope for it."

"I personally think it was some stupid plan of Sirius' to make us official family," Hermione said darkly.

"We are official family," Fred said blankly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I know that, but he's just too sneaky for his own good. I still think he's behind it." Hermione pouted.

"He would never do something like this, though, that puts Ellie at risk. He loves all of our kids, he wouldn't hurt any of them," George pointed out. Hermione sighed.

"I hate it when you're all logical," she said heavily.

"At least we know what's happened, and we can keep them safe," Fred said firmly. Then his eyes narrowed. "And if Reggie or HJ even _think_ about consummating anything, they'd better learn to juggle fast."

"They're only five years old, we have a few years yet," Hermione said dryly. Fred and George snorted.

"A few? More like twenty-five," they muttered.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Hermione? It's time!" Harry's frantic floo call kicked the Grange into high gear. Oriana and Arctura each grabbed a younger brother firmly by the hand, and Hermione grabbed Ellie. Fred and George each took a twin and a son, and all of them apparated to St. Mungo's. Harry was holding Albus in his arms and the serious toddler watched them approach solemnly. James was jiggling impatiently by his father, until he saw his Uncle Fred and Uncle George—then he whooped and ran on chubby toddler legs toward them.

"Are you okay, Harry? Is Ginny?" Hermione asked, setting down Ellie, and taking Albus from her brother. He shrugged helplessly.

"She's fine, I just worry," he muttered. "Now that you're here, I'm going in. You stay with Aunt Hermione, and be good." This last was directed at James. He kissed Albus absently on the forehead and hurried in to his wife.

"Where's everyone else, James my boy?" Fred asked his nephew. James shrugged. At three, his vocabulary was fairly limited.

The rest of the family turned up minutes later. Arthur and Molly arrived slightly breathlessly, and were immediately mobbed by their grandchildren. Sirius showed up with his wife Melisande, a distant cousin of Fleur's, and their son, Regulus, and their infant daughter, Jacqueline Lisette. Hermione spared a fond smile for her godfather, but then turned her focus to Fleur, Bill, and their three children: Victoire, Dominique and Louis. Remus and Tonks hurried in with their two sons, Teddy and HJ (or as the twins Oriana and Arctura referred to him 'HayJay'). Hermione noticed immediately when Regulus and HJ gravitated towards her daughter. Her hazel eyes narrowed on their heads bent toward one another and she shot a death glare at her godfather.

"Why does Aunt Hermione look like she wants to hex Uncle Sirius?" Louis asked his father in a loud whisper. Bill turned in surprise to see Hermione doing exactly that, in fact sparks were showering off of her—a clear sign that her temper had been aggravated.

"Is that what I think it is?" Molly asked in a horrified voice, looking at her granddaughter standing with Regulus and HJ. Hermione sighed heavily, and made plans to write a new book for purebloods.

"Yes," Hermione said flatly.

"How?" Molly asked, turning to Hermione, who was still glaring at Sirius.

"I'd like to know that myself," she said darkly. He looked offended.

"Now, look here, kitten, I had absolutely nothing to do with this," Sirius said firmly, frowning at his goddaughter.

"What's done is done," George said firmly, a hand on his wife's lower back, and a significant look in his eyes. Hermione glanced down at Ellie who was clutching Reggie and HJ's hands, looking upset. She sighed again.

"Yes, well. Thank Merlin they have us to protect them," Hermione said finally. Then something occurred to her and she smiled wickedly. "And on a positive note, Reggie will most likely be just as drop-dead gorgeous as dear old Daddy, and he won't be able to be a playboy. Not even a teensy bit."

"I'm sure he'll survive," Sirius said dryly, rolling his eyes. "I don't think I was ever as lascivious as you have made me out to be over the years."

"You were a terror among the girls' dormitories," Remus said dryly. Sirius sniffed.

"My son, he will be a gentleman," Melisande said firmly with a gimlet stare at the five year-old.

"He'd better be a gentleman," Hermione said with a snort. "Ellie's got five Uncles, two brothers, and a horde of cousins to defend her honor, and they all have to stand in line behind two Daddies who can throw bolts of power and one Mum who can chuck fireballs at him."

"That's quite true," Fred and George said coolly. Bill grinned wolfishly at his brothers.

"Hey, are we on time?" Ron was panting, pulling a very pregnant Lavender behind him. Their daughter Violet was trailing behind them, and she hurried over to her cousins. Neville and Luna had hurried after Lavender and stopped, slightly breathless next to Ron and Lavender.

"Yeah," Bill said with a nod. Just then, Harry came out of Ginny's room carrying a small, pink bundle, a tired smile on his face. He grinned at everyone, and tilted his elbow up slightly so that everyone could see her. Then he knelt down so that James could come closer. The toddler stared at the small pink bundle and then looked up at his dad.

"This is your little sister," Harry said softly to James. "James, meet Lily Luna Potter."

Luna gasped softly and her cheeks turned pink. Neville grinned at his wife and slid an arm around her waist. Hermione smiled warmly at Luna. She knew that Harry and Ginny were going to ask her to be Lily's godmother, and she knew that their friend was going to be overwhelmed.

"She's very small," James said with a slight frown, looking at the pink bundle. Harry nodded.

"She is very small," he agreed quietly. "As her big brother, it's your job to protect her, and to keep her safe."

"Albus, too?" James asked curiously, glancing toward Hermione where Albus was held securely, watching everything with his solemn green eyes.

"Yes, Albus, too, but right now you're the only one who's big enough to help her," Harry continued in that quiet voice. James nodded seriously.

"I promise, Dad," James' voice was grave as he looked at the small pink bundle. "I'll keep her safe."

"Now, let Grandma hold that baby," Molly said firmly, coming forward her arms outstretched. Harry chuckled and slid the newest grandchild into Molly's waiting arms.

Percy showed up a little late with his wife and daughters. He apologized profusely, but everyone waved him off. Their extended family was so large that they overflowed the waiting room's capacity. Hermione made the decision to take her family home because it made eight less people crowding the waiting room. She snuck in and kissed Ginny on the forehead and hugged and kissed Harry good-bye.

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Er, Mum, can I talk to you about something?" Oriana Weasley stood uncertainly in the doorway of her mother's office.

Hermione glanced up from the paperwork she was going over for Sirius and took in her daughter's concerned face. Oriana and Arctura were twenty years old now, and they planned on working with their Dads in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George were thinking of letting the girls go to the States and stretch their legs for a bit. While Hermione wasn't thrilled with the idea of her daughters living so far away, she knew it was important for them to figure out who they wanted to be.

"Of course, sweetheart. It's not a boyfriend problem, is it?" she asked carefully.

"No, Mum. I'm having too much fun at the moment to settle down with a boyfriend," Oriana stated baldly. Hermione flushed.

"I see. Well then, what's bothering you?" Hermione asked.

"So, this bond thing for Ellie, how does that work?" Oriana asked cautiously.

"Why? What's happened?" Hermione jumped out of her chair, and a small shower of sparks went off. Oriana smiled wryly.

"Nothing has happened. Or well, something did, but I don't know what it means," Oriana said uncertainly. Hermione sighed heavily.

"Just spit it out, please," Hermione said flatly. Oriana blushed and blurted it out.

"I saw Reggie and HayJay kissing."

"Oh," Hermione said blankly and sat down heavily, now that she knew nothing was overtly threatening her youngest child. Then what her oldest child had said filtered through and started slightly. "What…like…kissing?"

"Er, yeah," Oriana blushed a little darker. "Sort of full on snogging."

"_Oh_," Hermione said again, flushing herself. Oriana shuffled her feet.

"Dad and Dad don't do that," she muttered, carefully not looking at her mother. Hermione snorted.

"Of course they don't! They're twins. They're just as likely as you and Turi are to start snogging passionately in the halls," Hermione snapped in irritation. Oriana gagged slightly at the idea of kissing her sister. "However, Reggie and HayJay aren't brothers. Er, wow. I wonder how that will affect Ellie. You were worried about that, too, then?"

"Well, yeah, Mum. I can sort of see how it works for you. I don't know if Turi and I could manage to share a man, but if the Dads can figure out how to make it work, more power to them," Oriana said with a shrug. Hermione blushed. It had been difficult, when the children started school, for them to understand that not everyone had wildly varied extended family that they were blessed with. "But Ellie's…different. Oh, don't look like that, Mum! I mean that she's sort of fragile…delicate. I don't want her feelings hurt."

"Thanks, I think," Hermione said slowly. Then she groaned. "I do not want to have this conversation, but Merlin's beard we certainly can't let your Dads do it."

"I'd pay to see that," Oriana chuckled darkly. Hermione frowned.

"Fine, I'll have to let Sirius know I'm leaving early. I'm glad it's summer, otherwise I'd have to explain why I'm trotting on down to Hogwarts," Hermione muttered to herself and she straightened up her paperwork. "You, young lady, get back to work."

"I love you, too, Mum," Oriana said saucily. She bent and kissed her mother on the cheek and then bounded out of her office.

"Sirius? I'm going to have to go home early," Hermione said as she sailed into the library. "I'm worried about Ellie, and I need to check on her."

"She's okay, though, right?" Reggie glanced up from his game of chess with his father, concern on his face. Hermione's eyes narrowed and she scrutinized the fifteen year-old in front of her. She turned to Sirius who was watching her warily.

"I need to borrow the book, I have to check on something," Hermione said coolly. Sirius frowned.

"You didn't answer Reggie. Is Ellie okay?" Sirius asked with a worried glance at his son. Hermione's lips tightened.

"I'm not sure," she said nibbling her lip. "I'll have to check the book to see. I don't know if…well, let me look it up and then I'll let you know."

"Let me know what?" Sirius asked in exasperation. Hermione shrugged.

"What I find out," she said flatly. Sirius growled at her, and went to fetch the book. They had taken to keeping it locked up, to prevent anymore junior triads from floating about.

"But Ellie will be okay?" Reggie pushed again, nervously. Hermione frowned at her daughter's bondmate.

"I will make sure that _my_ _daughter_ is fine," Hermione said almost coldly. Reggie recoiled as though she'd struck him. She had never spoken to him that way, ever. His dad was frowning darkly at Hermione, and Reggie could see that his dad was getting angry.

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded. Hermione glared at Sirius, and then turned that cold gaze back on Reggie.

"I don't know yet," she muttered. "I just don't know."

"Is she mad at me?" Reggie whispered once Hermione had left Grimmauld Place. His dad was still frowning. He shook his head slightly.

"No, she seemed scared for Ellie…like something was really wrong," Sirius said at last, concern for his god-daughter and Ellie warring with his anger at her treatment of his son.

"But she'll be okay, right Dad. I mean…Hermione can do things no one else can 'cuz she's the focus, right?" Reggie begged his father for some sort of assurance. Sirius shrugged and smiled at his son.

"If anyone can do something, it's Hermione," Sirius said at last.

Hermione spent several days rereading information she hadn't looked through in almost twenty-five years. She found Bathilda Bagshot's book on the history of bondings, and reread all the pertinent parts about triads. She barely slept, and she refused to go to work. Fred and George weren't sure what was going on, but they were starting to worry. Reggie kept looking at Hermione's empty study, and was starting to become frantic with fear that something bad was going to happen to Ellie. Once they had a chance to talk, HayJay was just as worried about Ellie, and pestered Reggie with daily owls insisting on updates. On the fourth day, a screech of triumph echoed through the Grange and Hermione raced through the house until she found Ellie who was in her room with her cousins Violet and Peony.

"I am so sorry girls, but Ellie, honey, I need to speak with you," Hermione said firmly to the girls.

"Of course, Aunt 'Mione," Violet said with a grin. Hermione smiled tightly. She supposed it was better than Teddy and HayJay who insisted on calling her Aunt Spitfire.

"What's the matter, Mum?" Ellie asked gravely, her blue eyes wide. Hermione sighed.

Oriana was right: Cedrella was the most delicate of her children. It wasn't a physical delicacy—it was more emotional. She was quiet, shy, introverted. It was almost laughable that Regulus Black and Harry Lupin were her soul mates. They were both extroverts—handsome, popular, on the quidditch team—and they both had healthy egos and charming personalities. Then again, she supposed that they might be good for her, might help her draw out of her shell. Hermione led her daughter to the master suite and invited her into the small parlor area.

"Ellie, love, I need to talk to you about your bond," Hermione said calmly sitting down carefully on a wingback chair.

"No, Mum, we haven't consummated it," Ellie said flatly, rolling her eyes slightly. Hermione snorted.

"That wasn't what I was going to ask you. Have either of the boys ever expressed…er…romantic interest in you?" Hermione asked in slightly strained voice and then blushed. Ellie blinked at her mother.

"What exactly do you want to know, Mum?" Ellie asked softly.

"Have they ever kissed you? Or expressed an interest in kissing you? Or said 'I love you to death, Ells, but I could never kiss you'?" Hermione ploughed on determinedly. Ellie blushed.

"Mum," she said faintly. Hermione sat up straight and pierced her daughter with a gimlet stare.

"What about jealousy? Have they ever gotten jealous about you?" Hermione asked firmly. Ellie snorted at that.

"Yes. They're ridiculous. If you listened to HayJay, half of Hogwarts is panting after me," Ellie said dryly, rolling her eyes. "Reggie almost punched Maximillian Nott because, and I'm quoting here 'he was undressing you with his eyes'."

"Ah," Hermione said with satisfaction. "So they have kissed you, but you'd rather die than talk about that with your mother."

"Mum," Ellie pleaded, her cheeks bright pink. Hermione nodded, then bit her lip.

"Okay, I'm sorry about this, I truly am, and believe me sweetie, I do not want to know, but I have to ask—do they kiss in front of you?" Hermione asked cautiously, unsure of the answer. Ellie blushed bright red.

"Mum, I don't see how that's any of your business," Ellie said stiffly. Hermione relaxed completely.

"Oh thank Merlin," she said with a heavy sigh. Ellie sat up and glared at her mother.

"Did you think they were sneaking around behind my back or something? Mum, they would never!" Ellie was indignant on her bondmates' behalf. Hermione shrugged.

"I had to make sure," Hermione said quietly. "If the bond were faulty…you could have suffered a great deal."

"What would you have done?" Ellie asked her mother curiously. Hermione's eyes went cold and flat.

"I would have destroyed the bond to protect you," Hermione said slowly, watching her daughter. Ellie stared at her mother for a long moment and then nodded.

"I'm not going to tell Reggie or HayJay that…but I understand Mum," Ellie said quietly. Hermione shrugged, her eyes still cold and flat. Ellie had only seen what she privately referred to as Mum's War Face a few times, but it usually had to do with their family. Mum was a lot like Grandma Weasley when it came to her family: tenacious and over-protective. Then something occurred to her. "Mother…you didn't…er…accuse them of anything, did you?"

"No," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "I wasn't sure what was going on. I didn't think it was possible for the bond to form if you weren't all, um, compatible, but I wasn't sure. I mean, my bond is different. I was worried that maybe yours was...off somehow, but in a way that would rebound on you."

"I see," Ellie said thoughtfully. "Mum, I think I need to go see them. I think they're…anxious?"

"If you feel it then, yes, they are," Hermione said calmly. Ellie looked surprised.

"You can feel it when the Dads get upset?" Ellie asked curiously. Hermione smiled wickedly. "Oh, yes, and I can make sure they know when _I'm _upset as well. You can send them reassurance and calm. They won't know it's from you, yet, but you can try anyway. I'll take you with me tomorrow. You'll have to owl HayJay and see if he can get permission to see you and Reggie at Grimmauld Place."

"Remus and Tonks would let him come if it was _you_ owling them," Ellie said slowly, turning slightly pink. Hermione narrowed her gaze at her daughter.

"I see," she said carefully. "I think perhaps we need to have a chat, triad to triad."

"Oi! Mum! Are you in here? Oh, hey!" Nat Weasley poked his head into his mother's parlor and grinned at her. "Hey, Ellie-love! Listen, Mum, er…Dad sort of had an accident in the lab and he wanted to know if you could come help."

"Which Dad, and what did they do?" Hermione said with a sigh, rubbing her forehead. Nat shrugged and grinned at his mother.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly what happened, Tim was helping, but it was our Sainted Dad who ended up in a bit of a pickle," Nat said cheerfully. Hermione rolled her eyes. George then.

"Ignatius Charles Weasley, what did your fathers _do?"_ Hermione demanded, her hands on her hips. Nat held up his hands.

"Mum, I swear, I'm completely innocent of this whole debacle. I was working on my internship application for the Dragon…Reserve," he trailed off faintly as he realized what he'd just told his mother. Hermione's face paled dramatically.

"Do your fathers know that you're applying?" She asked calmly, smoothing her skirts, and glancing at her son out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, yeah, but," Nat started, but his mother stood up and went toe-to-toe with him, craning her neck to glare up at him.

"I knew it! Oh, when I get ahold of them," she muttered darkly. "Right. First things first. Let's go see what they've done to themselves, fix it, and then kill them both."

Hermione swept out of her parlor and marched toward her husbands' lab, followed by Ellie and Nat. The lab was a separate outbuilding, away from the Grange, and Hermione used the walking time to imagine all the different ways in which she might throttle her bondmates. She entered the lab cautiously, twenty plus years of marriage had taught her that much anyway. She frowned slightly at the scene in front of her and then turned to her son, Septimus.

"Tim, what exactly happened in here?" Hermione asked slowly.

"We were working on Colloquial Crunch, it, er…well, you can sort of see," Tim said gesturing to his father. Hermione blinked at her husband and then turned back to her sixteen year-old son.

"Where is Fred?" She asked with a sigh. Tim pointed to a dog that was snoring under the bench.

"Let sleeping dogs lie? And you, you're in a bit of a pickle, I take it?" Hermione asked dryly. George was currently a giant pickle. He tried to glare at her, but his face felt oddly stiff.

"Not quite how I'd planned," George bit out. Hermione sighed. She turned to Tim.

"Where are your Dads' notes? Give them over. Right. No one eat anything in here," Hermione said firmly. She sat down and read through their research notes, paying careful attention to everything they'd written down. Then she sat straight up and stared at George.

"You used powdered Ioca root?" She asked him flatly. He tried to nod, but couldn't, so he settled for bouncing up and down.

"Oh, George, no wonder. I told you not to use that, it's still being approved by the Apothecary's Guild. I can fix this, but it'll take a little while. Let me go see if I have any Xenial leaf," Hermione said with a resigned sigh. She turned to Nat and Ellie. "All of you stay here with your Dads. I'll be right back. Don't eat anything, don't touch anything."

**F/H/G/F/H/G**

"Spitfire!"

"HERMIONE!"

Hermione ran flat out from the upstairs of the Grange to the outside pavilion where they were celebrating Cedrella's graduation from Hogwarts. The seventeen year-old looked radiantly beautiful with her long dark-red hair and her wide dark-blue eyes. Her parents had given her an exquisite necklace as her coming of age gift, and it complimented the robes she was currently wearing. She was also levitating slightly off the ground. Fred and George were glaring murderously at Reggie and HayJay, and it was only by the tiniest shred of control that they hadn't throttled them both. The rest of the family looked surprised at Fred and George's behavior, but when they saw Hermione's jaw drop open and a suddenly narrowed gaze turned on her daughter's two bondmates—they started to catch on.

"Oi!" Nat yelled, and glared menacingly at the two boys, who'd pressed close to one another for comfort. Sirius moved toward his god-daughter cautiously, and put a soothing hand on her arm.

"Does this mean what I think it does?" He asked her quietly. She glared at him, then she turned her gaze on her daughter and her face softened. Hermione kissed Sirius on the cheek, and removed his hand from her arm. She levitated easily, she'd had a lot of years to perfect it after all, and moved closer to her daughter, who looked upset.

"Are you angry with me?" Ellie's voice was soft, and Hermione barely heard her.

"No, love. It had to happen sooner or later. I just…it's still a bit of a shock. Especially for your poor Dads. They like to keep thinking that you're just their little witch, and you're not really," Hermione said softly. Ellie snorted.

"I'm still their daughter," she muttered. Hermione smiled.

"Yes, you are. And now Reggie and HayJay are their sons-in-law," she said with a slight smile. Ellie glanced at her mother.

"You don't want a big scary wedding?" She asked curiously. Hermione shrugged.

"I am sure that Melisande will insist on one, and because Regulus is the Black heir, you'll sort of have to, but no. _I_ know how binding your oath is. I know that Reggie and HayJay would never hurt you, and not just because I can flame them." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"They love me," Ellie murmured, blushing slightly. Hermione nodded.

"And you love them, and they love each other," Hermione said with a shrug. "It will be fine, eventually. At least you don't have a war going on at the same time, or people trying to kill you."

"Did you and the Dads have a hard time with all this stuff?" Ellie asked curiously. Their parents had never really gone into detail about the war. They'd heard things from other family members, but usually it was overheard and sort of vague. Hermione smiled slightly.

"I think any relationship has a period of adjustment," she said carefully, "and ours was perhaps tested in unusual ways. Voldemort wanted us dead because we were a triad, so we spent a lot of time just focusing on staying alive."

"Oh," Ellie's eyes were huge in her face. Hermione lifted her hand idly and there was a spinning ball of fire, rotating lazily in her palm.

"We focused on learning what we need to live, but you three aren't limited by that. You will be able to pursue other interests," Hermione said gently. She waved her hand slightly and the fireball vanished. "That being said, we should probably go down, and save your bondmates."

"Okay," Ellie said uncertainly, looking down at the ground. Hermione held out her hand with a smile, and her daughter clasped it. They floated down gently, until George grabbed Hermione and pulled her to him. HayJay had moved forward and grabbed Ellie in a similar manner, pulling her to stand between him and Reggie.

"Hermione," Fred began angrily, but Hermione just looked at him.

"What's done is done. You said it at the beginning," Hermione said firmly.

"But spitfire," George began and Hermione craned her neck to look up at him.

"It will be fine," Hermione said firmly.

George frowned and glanced at his brother who was watching their daughter with an inscrutable expression. George sighed and turned toward his baby, the youngest of all of their children. Ellie had a lot of the Weasley genes in her appearance, but a lot of her mannerisms were her mother's. She had clasped hands with her bondmates, probably to reassure them, he thought idly. It was the sort of thing that Hermione would do. HayJay and Reggie looked like they wanted to hug her, but were afraid to in front of Fred and George. He sighed. Fred glanced at him and rolled his eyes.

"If you ever hurt her," George said darkly. Reggie and HayJay looked mortally offended.

"Daddy," Ellie said warningly. Fred frowned.

"No, he's right, Ellie-love. The bond doesn't stop them from being stupid, or cruel," Fred said flatly, a dark look on his face.

"If they do something stupid, I'm sure Ellie will straighten it out," Sirius said with a sardonic look at Fred and George. "Hermione always has."

"Hmph," George grunted. Hermione elbowed him.

"Behave," she hissed at him. George sighed in irritation, and kissed his wife's forehead.

"Fine," he muttered, looking over at his brother. Fred grinned cheekily at his wife.

"Fred," she said warningly. "I don't like that look. Fred! I'm serious."

"You worry too much, love," Fred said mildly, kissing his wife briefly on the lips. "George and I have, er, something to get from the kitchen. Come along then, Georgie."

"What do you need from the kitchen?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Oh, more food. And our present for Ellie. We left it in the kitchen," George said with a wave of his hand. Hermione watched the both of them with narrowed eyes.

"That had better be all you're doing," Hermione called after them. "I mean it! Fred! George!"

"Mum, they're not going to try and hurt Reggie or HayJay, are they?" Arctura asked worriedly, looking after her fathers. Hermione glared at their retreating figures.

"No, they love the boys," she said slowly, looking thoughtfully at Sirius. He grinned at her cheekily.

"Probably just an impotency charm," Sirius said with a shrug. Hermione snorted.

"Or a shrinking charm," Harry offered, coming to stand next to his sister and hug her. Reggie and HayJay flinched. Sirius frowned at Harry.

"Bite your tongue," Sirius said to his godson. Harry shrugged.

"They're overprotective dads. What would you do to someone who had designs on Jacqueline?" Harry asked pointedly. Sirius' face darkened and he glanced toward his pretty twelve year-old daughter.

"Right," he muttered to himself.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked his sister, his green eyes filled with love and concern. Hermione looked at the large gathering—filled with her family and friends and smiled at her brother. There were always little things that would happen, bumps in the road of life Molly called them, but they all had each other, and she knew that in the end, everything would work out for the best.

"I am," she said softly. "I really, truly am."

_A/N: Brief biology note—identical twins have identical DNA. Any progeny from the same woman would all share the same number of alleles as a full sibling, so all of Hermione's children are full siblings to one another, regardless of who is the father. There is no real way to determine paternity, and I don't think they really give a damn. _


End file.
